SEMESTER SCHEDULE Fall 2009
College Composition1030 Section 35,
Fridays 6:30-9:15 CAS 307
This calendar is a work in progress. It gives an accurate overview of the quantity and general sequence of assignments - but - to make sure you have the right assignment for any given day you must check the course blog every day. Posts will summarize what we did in class, and state specifically what will be due for the next class. I intend to update the course blog, http://kiefersenglishcomp.blogspot.com/ by 9:00 on the morning following every class. If I forget - it is your responsibility to send me a reminder. Each of the four Summary Response papers are to be submitted electronically AND as two hard copies brought to class the day they are due.
WEEK ONE First Day
Fri 9/4: Distribution & Brief Review of Syllabus and Course Material
GELAP Diagnostic
Introduce Summary Writing w/ Elbow handout & Process Analysis as a genre
Introduce Freewriting. 10min FW: How do you feel about writing for school? Do you like it/dislike it? Why? How do you feel about your ability to write for school?
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Syllabus & Peter Elbow “Freewriting;”
Writing: 2) REVISE GELAP; 3) 10min BStrm: Make a list of ALL of the problems you most struggle with when writing an academic essay. AND, make another list of what you would most like to learn in this class? 4) Summary Response 1 to Elbow 5) Email Contact Information
WEEK TWO:
Fri 9/11:
Discuss Freewrite SRR & Elbow
Building your Google Site
Discuss Reading & SRRs with Model
Introduce Project One—A Literacy Narrative
Partner/Small Group P1 Draft Workshop
HW-- Writing: 1) P1 FW – 2 pgs dbl-spd. 2) Summary Response 2 Tan
Reading: Amy Tan’s Mother Tongue
WEEK THREE
Fri 9/18: Discuss Tan SR & Analysis Form
Introduce Hot Spotting with Model
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) P1 D1 – 2 more pgs dbl-spd; 2) Hot Spot D1 of P1 for Narrative & Critical Reflection 3) Summary Response 3 Shame
Reading: Gregory’s Shame
WEEK FOUR
Fri 9/25: Introduction to Glossing
GLOSS Shame & Discuss
Whole Class Workshop – Model Gloss P1
Discuss P1 Glossing Revision
HW: Writing:, P1 D2 – 2 more pages (up to 6pgs now); 1) Revise Gloss Outline & Revise – P1 D3; 2) 10min Reflection FW: How did it feel to revise from the Gloss Outline? Did it work? What do you most like about doing this? What do you most dislike? What makes this hard/easy to do?
WEEK FIVE
Tue 10/2: Introduce Rhetorical Principles – What is a text? Genre, Audience, Purpose, Context
Discuss Project Two
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
Partner Copy Editing – Project One
HW-- Reading: 1) Read Project Two Instructions; 1) Crimes Against Humanity, Ward Churchill
Writing:1) Brainstorm & Freewrite on Project 2 2) Response paper for Crimes. 3) Final Draft of Project 1 due 10/9
WEEK SIX
Fri 10/9: Project 1 Due. Deadline Draft
Sign up for conferences
Discuss Argument & Crimes
Whole-class and group practice on text analysis. Select articles.
HW: Writing: 1) Project Two Proposals –
WEEK SEVEN
Fri 10/16: Conferences
Invention Work on Project II
HW: 1) Read Anna Quindlen’s A New Look at an Old Battle
Write: 1) Project 2 FW – 2-3pg; 2) Project 2 D1.
WEEK EIGHT
Fri 10/23: Project Three & Whole Class Topic Brainstorm
Whole Class Workshop – Project 2 Hot Spot
Discuss Principles of Argument - Position Statement, Evidence, Logos, Pathos, Ethos
Discuss Quindlen & Principles of Argument
w/Model– Claims, Evidence, Counter Claims
HW: Writing: 1) Source Search Summary Response Outline 1) Revise P2 , D2– 4-5 dbl-spd pgs total;
WEEK NINE
Fri 10/30: Conferences. Individual revision and copyediting.
Project 3--Persuasion assigned.
HW: Writing: 1) P3 Proposals--Topics and thesis statements 2) Work on Deadline Draft of P2.
Reading: 1) Read Racial Profiling Essays from Banks 757-771.
WEEK TEN
Fri 11/6: Project Two. Deadline Draft Due
Discuss Introductions and Conclusions
Whole Class Workshop – Intros & Conclusions
Small Group discussion Racial Profiling SR5
HW-- Writing: 1) P3 Freewrite – 2-3 pgs; 2) P3 D1; 3) Racial Profiling essay
WEEK ELEVEN
Fri 11/13: Racial Profile Response paper due
Re-visit Rhetorical Principles – Genre, Purpose, Audience, Context
Whole Class Workshop – Project Three Hot Spot
HW: Writing: 1) Intro/Conclusion Revisions; 2) P3 D2
WEEK TWELVE
Fri 11/20: Introduce Portfolio and Introductory Reflective Letter
Whole Class Workshop – Reflection
Whole Class Workshop – Google Sites
Revision Discussion: Development Focus and Copy Editing
HW: Writing: 1) Revision Work—P3 D3. 2) Portfolio Preparation
:
WEEK THIRTEEN—NO CLASS
Fri 11/27 Project 3 Deadline Draft Due
THANKSGIVING Friday – NO CLASSES
HW-- Writing: 1) Draft Reflection Letter; 2)
WEEK FOURTEEN
Peer Response Due
Fri 12/4: Discuss GELAP Grading Rubric
Discuss Genre Project progress
Whole Class Workshop – Local Revision and Copy Editing
HW: Genre Work and Portfolio Preparation
WEEK FIFTEEN
Fri 12/11: GELAP & Portfolios Due
Partner Revision Workshops
HW: Persuasive Letter Presentation
WEEK SIXTEEN
Fri 12/18:
Persuasive Letter Presentations
SEMESTER ENDS Monday, December 21, 2009
**Important dates: September 9- Last Day to withdraw with a 100% refund; September 16—Last day to withdraw with a 75% refund, September 23 –Last day to withdraw with a 50% refund. October 30--Last day to withdraw with a “W” (0% refund.)
--Schedule subject to change as necessary.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Syllabus --Fall 2009
ENGLISH 1030, 35: COLLEGE COMPOSITION
Fall 2009: 6:30 – 9:15 p.m. Fridays CAS 307
Instructor: Ms. Kim Kiefer
Office/Phone: 320A CAS, 908-737-0391
E-mail Address: KiKiefer@kean.edu for communication
Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com for work submission
Office Hours: Fridays 6:00-6:30 pm, and by appointment
Required Texts and Materials
· Banks, Margot Harper, Comment and Controversy in Today’s World
· Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed.
TWO 2-pocket folders Access to a working printer AND computer
ONE manila folder An EXTRA ink cartridge for your printer!
Pocket (or other) stapler and staples A FULL ream of printer paper!
Paper Clips—large and small Your KEAN Gmail Email Acct ACTIVATED
A USB drive. **You must bring this to every class. [Note: You should not buy a USB drive with U3 capability. This type sometimes does not work on Kean’s computers.]
Course Description
In College Composition you will focus on the study and practice of writing, and on how the development and shape of texts are informed by a variety of rhetorical concepts such as purpose, audience and context. In this course you will have extended opportunities to engage in a variety of compositional practices in a supportive, student-centered environment. In addition to more ‘pragmatic’ goals, one of the objectives for all writing courses I teach is the development of greater critical language awareness. Critical language awareness is about being able to read and write the word and the world (Freire). As I understand and try to teach it, it is a belief that all language learning, including learning to write well, can never be limited to superficial attention to grammar, thesis statements, or traditional academic genres, but rather must always stress critical attention to and exploration of the rhetorical elements mentioned above.
We live in a world full of more text than ever before. People are speaking to us (writing to us) everywhere we go. They are filling our heads with their ideas about us and the world we live in. Now, more than ever, literacy means more than just being able to scratch out your name on a job application. Twenty First Century literacy means being able to manage our way—reading and writing—through the ocean of conversations in which we all live. Greater critical language awareness of the complexities of our rhetorical worlds inevitably serves you in multiple ways—both inside and outside the classroom. It enables you to lift away the surface of a text—whether it be an assignment sheet, an office memorandum, an advertisement, or a constitutional amendment—and makes the differing discourses and implicit values of a particular text more visible. I believe that by becoming a more conscious writer and reader, a person is better equipped to penetrate the multiple rhetorical contexts in which we are all immersed. Such a critical consciousness will inevitably influence your writing and reading in other courses, future jobs, and your lives as citizens. Ultimately, my aim is to have you walk out of this classroom not just being more skillful and more confident writers, but also being more skillful and more confident readers and writers of the world around you. This class isn’t only about you getting As and Bs on writing assignments in this and other classes. This class is about you being able to negotiate the world of text outside this campus with more confidence, knowledge and wisdom.
There are four components to the course—writing, reading, class discussion, and small group work. Generally speaking, our daily, in-class routine will include: whole and small group discussion, in-class writing, and draft workshops. Homework will include: reading, at-home writing and revising, and responding to peer work. At first, the variety of work may be confusing, but will quickly become less so. To minimize confusion, it is important that you save this syllabus and all documents I distribute in one place (one of your folders). You are required to bring all handouts along with the course texts, a notebook, and a media storage device to every class – EVERY DAY. Lack of knowledge of any information given in distributed sheets is not an excuse for mishandled assignments. Refer to this and other documents frequently. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me or a classmate for assignments.
Reading and Writing Work
Bundles of writing will be required for this course. It is a composition course after all. And, though I will not (cannot) read and/or comment on everything you write for this course, all the writing we do is important to your development and improvement as a writer. Additionally, much of what you write will be compiled into a final portfolio. THUS, you must SAVE EVERYTHING you write during the course for the final portfolio. AGAIN, SAVE EVERYTHING!! Since computer problems and lost books are no uncommon, I strongly advise you to keep HARD COPIES and ELECTRONIC BACK-UPS of everything you write.
**NOTE: All University computer labs are updated with MS Word Vista. Students working on personal computers with older versions of Word 2000 will not be able to open documents generated on campus unless they save the document as “1998-2002 accessible.”
Aside from reading each other’s written work, the outside reading will include the text listed above, some handouts and some research documents. You are expected to read closely enough (to re-read if necessary) – to write critically reflective responses to many of these texts; to discuss the texts and your written response in class; to respond to peers’ written responses; and to connect work with our readings to your own and your peers’ writing. Summary Responses (SR) will be due periodically. Peer Responses (PR) to these are due following SR submission. Late SRs/PRs, if accepted at all, will be marked down.
Aside from graded SRs and PRs, you will be drafting and revising three full length writing projects throughout the course and doing a variety of other kinds of writing work. Though not formally “graded” until the end of term, late or missing work will affect your final grade. Listed below are brief descriptions of writing assignments. More thoroughly detailed handouts and information will be provided:
· Academic Essays – three essays, revised multiple times into final polished drafts.
· Genre Project – adaptation of one of the three essays into a genre other than prose form.
· Final Portfolio – the compilation of work into a graded portfolio, equivalent to a final exam.
· GELAP Compare/Contrast Essays – two in-class, timed, essays.
· General Response Writing – critically reflective responses to: peer writing, your writing process, thinking and learning, etc.
· Miscellaneous Writing Exercises – invention, writing and revision exercises (glossing, hot spotting, author’s notes) used in drafting essays.
· Summary Responses/Peer Responses – reflective responses to course texts and peer SRs.
· Self-Assessments – reflective writing on your writing and learning included in portfolio.
**NOTE: It is very important to keep in mind that the writing work you do for this course IS PUBLIC WRITING. Aside from me, peers and other composition program faculty will see your work. Some of the writing we do includes reflecting on our personal experience. Please keep this in mind as you make choices about what you write about.
Format for Submitted Work
The vast majority of written work for this course must be submitted electronically and therefore must be computer generated in 12-point, Times Roman font, and left-aligned. Pages must be numbered (bottom right) and have ONE-INCH margins all around. All documents submitted must have a proper header on the top left corner of the first page only. Any work submitted not meeting these criteria may be refused and returned without comment or credit. Please bring 2 printed copies of each Summary Reading Response to class to share with your small group. The first time you submit the draft, I will give you suggestions for revision. You will then have the chance to revise, creating what I call a deadline draft. If you do not submit a deadline draft on time during the semester, I will deduct seventy points from your portfolio grade (enough to lower the score one letter grade). If you do not submit two deadline drafts, you will fail the course.
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Unless otherwise directed, assignments must be emailed to me at gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. You will attach the assignment to an email as a Word or rich text format file; we will discuss how to do this in class. I cannot open Microsoft Works files.
Note: CAS 307 uses Word 2007. While it can read files created in earlier versions of Word, you will need to save Word 2007 files in a special way to ensure they can be read by earlier versions. I will show you how to do this in class.
If I cannot open the file, I will ask you to resubmit it in a file format I can open. You will have twenty-four hours to resubmit the work. If you do not, I will assign the default grade listed on the submitting work chart (included in this packet).
LATE WORK
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Assignments submitted as attached files are due by the date and time listed on the schedule, on the class blog, and on the assignment sheet. You are responsible for letting me know about any network-related problems that prevent you from submitting assignments.
I will not read deadline drafts turned in 24 hours or more late unless we meet face to face. I am willing to extend deadlines for students with extenuating circumstances if I am approached in advance. Extensions will not be granted for assignments turned in late because of unexcused absences.
Portfolio— At the end of the semester, you will submit an electronic portfolio containing samples of your writing done for the course: the summary/response assignments, your projects and Genre Project.. You will need to include freewrites and rough drafts for the analysis and argument essays. In addition, you will write a reflective introduction explaining why you selected these pieces and evaluating what you learned in the course.
Your portfolio will take the form of a website created using Google Sites through Kean’s servers. You must activate your Kean email account in order to use this version of Google Sites. We will spend time in class practicing this program, and you can access the site on your own.
I will grade the portfolio holistically, using the criteria on the College Composition student information sheet, to determine your score. By waiting until the end of the semester to truly grade your major pieces, I will be able to evaluate everything you have learned about writing. You will also have plenty of time to create the best work you can.
Engaged Participation
Since class discussion and small group work will comprise a majority of in-class work, your engaged participation in these activities is extremely important (hence the below attendance policy). Aside from your participation and presence, it is ASSUMED that you will come prepared to class with your books, other necessary materials,completed homework AND that your cell phones will be TURNED OFF. Repeated use of cell phones during class time will count against your class participation grade.
In addition to your regular attendance, engaged participation, to my mind, includes actively showing each member of this class respect, patience and tolerance. Good writers never work alone, and each of us needs each other to fully succeed in making this class as deep a learning experience as possible. While I am completely committed to my role as the instructor, I am not solely responsible for the progress of each individual in the class and the group at large. Each of you needs to be equally prepared to commit yourselves as best as you are able.
We will spend all of our time in a computer classroom (CAS 307), and I know the Net has several interesting sites to visit. However, it is disrespectful to read unrelated web pages or play games during class. Ten points will be deducted from your participation grade every time you do anything on the computers when the rest of us are not using them. This can cause you to earn a negative participation grade. If we are not using the computers as a class, you must lay the monitor face down on the processor.
The computer penalty also applies to cell phones and other personal electronic devices used without permission. Turn them off before class starts, and keep them stored out of sight. Otherwise, you will lose ten points from your participation grade.
No one, including me, is allowed to bring food or drink in CAS 307. If you bring food or drink into that room, the lab technicians can throw you out of class. If they do, you will be counted absent, and you will lose your participation score for that day. If the lab technician does not throw you out, I will still penalize your participation grade by five points.
My Attendance Policy
The consistent participation and presence of each of you is vital to the continuity, and thus the growth and learning of the entire class. As such, I expect all of you to be here, to be here promptly, and with all necessary work and materials. Absences and latenesses are only recognized as “excused” with appropriate documentation. If you know you will be absent, let me know in advance. Vacation travel is NOT a valid excuse for absence. If you are late and/or miss class repeatedly, your grade will suffer. Three lates equals one absence. More than one absence can affect your final grade. More than two can result in failure of the course. You should obtain cell numbers from peers to contact them for missed assignments.
Kean University Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected in all courses. Attendance will be a component of the grade of any course if so stated in the syllabus. Students are responsible for informing the instructor in advance or in a timely manner of the reasons for their absence. Instructors in consultation with their department chairs are expected to respect university practices and policies regarding what counts as an excused absence. Typically excused absences include illness, bereavement, or religious observances. Serious tardiness may be dealt with at the discretion of the instructor.
Grades
The percentage breakdowns of the primary components of the course upon which your grade rests are: a) 30% of FINAL GRADE – ALL Weekly Reading and Writing Work including but not limited to: SR/PRs, misc freewrites, draft writing and revision, Genre Project presentation and GELAP exams; b) 20% of FINAL GRADE – Participation and Attendance; and c) 50% of FINAL GRADE – Final Portfolio. More detailed information on grading for specific assignments will be distributed.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. If you would like to know your approximate grade-to-date, give me advance notice and see me during office hours or make an appointment.
Note To Pass: Students must receive a C or higher to satisfy the composition requirement. If a student in 1030 gets a D, s/he must take 1030 again to complete the requirement. Some departments require no less than a B- for their majors, Education majors for example. If you are unsure, talk to someone within your department.
Plagiarism
By enrolling in this course, you join a community requiring intellectual integrity. When you write your name on an assignment, you take credit for the work contained therein. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty demonstrate a disrespect for the community and will not be tolerated. If guilty of violating this honor code, you may receive an F for the course at the discretion of the faculty member. More information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are located online at: http://www.kean.edu/academicintegrity.html. I highly recommend that you review this document for reference now and as you continue your academic career at Kean University.
Kean University Definition of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as one’s own work. Copying or paraphrasing text without acknowledging the source, for example, is plagiarism.
The Student Code of Conduct
I strongly advise you to take the time to thoroughly review the below link regarding The Student Code of Conduct. Though specifics may vary, codes of conduct are common to Universities and educational institutions across the country. Violations of code can result in suspension from campus activities or, if serious enough, expulsion. Details of this Kean University’s code of conduct and other materials from the Office of Student Conduct are available online at: http://www.kean.edu/~conduct/Welcome.html.
Learning Support
All College Composition students are entitled to tutoring at the Writing Center on the 1st floor of the CAS Building. You can make appointments in person or by phone: (908) 737-0300. Typical hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 9:30AM to 10:30PM, Friday 9:30AM to 5:30PM, Saturday 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Specific times are posted. I advise ALL students to make use of this service which your tuition pays for. If you plan on going, see me as I can provide instructions for the tutor based on our course.
Personal & Disability Support
Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation for any sort of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours. OR, contact the office of Project Excel, CSI room 105A, 908-737-5400 for more information regarding University support for learning and/or other disabilities.
If you suffer from emotionally difficult circumstances, please contact the Kean University Human Relations and Counseling Center for confidential counseling. The Center is located in Room 127 of Downs Hall (908) 737-4850.
_________________________
***This syllabus subject to change with notice
Fall 2009: 6:30 – 9:15 p.m. Fridays CAS 307
Instructor: Ms. Kim Kiefer
Office/Phone: 320A CAS, 908-737-0391
E-mail Address: KiKiefer@kean.edu for communication
Gotprofkiefer@gmail.com for work submission
Office Hours: Fridays 6:00-6:30 pm, and by appointment
Required Texts and Materials
· Banks, Margot Harper, Comment and Controversy in Today’s World
· Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed.
TWO 2-pocket folders Access to a working printer AND computer
ONE manila folder An EXTRA ink cartridge for your printer!
Pocket (or other) stapler and staples A FULL ream of printer paper!
Paper Clips—large and small Your KEAN Gmail Email Acct ACTIVATED
A USB drive. **You must bring this to every class. [Note: You should not buy a USB drive with U3 capability. This type sometimes does not work on Kean’s computers.]
Course Description
In College Composition you will focus on the study and practice of writing, and on how the development and shape of texts are informed by a variety of rhetorical concepts such as purpose, audience and context. In this course you will have extended opportunities to engage in a variety of compositional practices in a supportive, student-centered environment. In addition to more ‘pragmatic’ goals, one of the objectives for all writing courses I teach is the development of greater critical language awareness. Critical language awareness is about being able to read and write the word and the world (Freire). As I understand and try to teach it, it is a belief that all language learning, including learning to write well, can never be limited to superficial attention to grammar, thesis statements, or traditional academic genres, but rather must always stress critical attention to and exploration of the rhetorical elements mentioned above.
We live in a world full of more text than ever before. People are speaking to us (writing to us) everywhere we go. They are filling our heads with their ideas about us and the world we live in. Now, more than ever, literacy means more than just being able to scratch out your name on a job application. Twenty First Century literacy means being able to manage our way—reading and writing—through the ocean of conversations in which we all live. Greater critical language awareness of the complexities of our rhetorical worlds inevitably serves you in multiple ways—both inside and outside the classroom. It enables you to lift away the surface of a text—whether it be an assignment sheet, an office memorandum, an advertisement, or a constitutional amendment—and makes the differing discourses and implicit values of a particular text more visible. I believe that by becoming a more conscious writer and reader, a person is better equipped to penetrate the multiple rhetorical contexts in which we are all immersed. Such a critical consciousness will inevitably influence your writing and reading in other courses, future jobs, and your lives as citizens. Ultimately, my aim is to have you walk out of this classroom not just being more skillful and more confident writers, but also being more skillful and more confident readers and writers of the world around you. This class isn’t only about you getting As and Bs on writing assignments in this and other classes. This class is about you being able to negotiate the world of text outside this campus with more confidence, knowledge and wisdom.
There are four components to the course—writing, reading, class discussion, and small group work. Generally speaking, our daily, in-class routine will include: whole and small group discussion, in-class writing, and draft workshops. Homework will include: reading, at-home writing and revising, and responding to peer work. At first, the variety of work may be confusing, but will quickly become less so. To minimize confusion, it is important that you save this syllabus and all documents I distribute in one place (one of your folders). You are required to bring all handouts along with the course texts, a notebook, and a media storage device to every class – EVERY DAY. Lack of knowledge of any information given in distributed sheets is not an excuse for mishandled assignments. Refer to this and other documents frequently. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me or a classmate for assignments.
Reading and Writing Work
Bundles of writing will be required for this course. It is a composition course after all. And, though I will not (cannot) read and/or comment on everything you write for this course, all the writing we do is important to your development and improvement as a writer. Additionally, much of what you write will be compiled into a final portfolio. THUS, you must SAVE EVERYTHING you write during the course for the final portfolio. AGAIN, SAVE EVERYTHING!! Since computer problems and lost books are no uncommon, I strongly advise you to keep HARD COPIES and ELECTRONIC BACK-UPS of everything you write.
**NOTE: All University computer labs are updated with MS Word Vista. Students working on personal computers with older versions of Word 2000 will not be able to open documents generated on campus unless they save the document as “1998-2002 accessible.”
Aside from reading each other’s written work, the outside reading will include the text listed above, some handouts and some research documents. You are expected to read closely enough (to re-read if necessary) – to write critically reflective responses to many of these texts; to discuss the texts and your written response in class; to respond to peers’ written responses; and to connect work with our readings to your own and your peers’ writing. Summary Responses (SR) will be due periodically. Peer Responses (PR) to these are due following SR submission. Late SRs/PRs, if accepted at all, will be marked down.
Aside from graded SRs and PRs, you will be drafting and revising three full length writing projects throughout the course and doing a variety of other kinds of writing work. Though not formally “graded” until the end of term, late or missing work will affect your final grade. Listed below are brief descriptions of writing assignments. More thoroughly detailed handouts and information will be provided:
· Academic Essays – three essays, revised multiple times into final polished drafts.
· Genre Project – adaptation of one of the three essays into a genre other than prose form.
· Final Portfolio – the compilation of work into a graded portfolio, equivalent to a final exam.
· GELAP Compare/Contrast Essays – two in-class, timed, essays.
· General Response Writing – critically reflective responses to: peer writing, your writing process, thinking and learning, etc.
· Miscellaneous Writing Exercises – invention, writing and revision exercises (glossing, hot spotting, author’s notes) used in drafting essays.
· Summary Responses/Peer Responses – reflective responses to course texts and peer SRs.
· Self-Assessments – reflective writing on your writing and learning included in portfolio.
**NOTE: It is very important to keep in mind that the writing work you do for this course IS PUBLIC WRITING. Aside from me, peers and other composition program faculty will see your work. Some of the writing we do includes reflecting on our personal experience. Please keep this in mind as you make choices about what you write about.
Format for Submitted Work
The vast majority of written work for this course must be submitted electronically and therefore must be computer generated in 12-point, Times Roman font, and left-aligned. Pages must be numbered (bottom right) and have ONE-INCH margins all around. All documents submitted must have a proper header on the top left corner of the first page only. Any work submitted not meeting these criteria may be refused and returned without comment or credit. Please bring 2 printed copies of each Summary Reading Response to class to share with your small group. The first time you submit the draft, I will give you suggestions for revision. You will then have the chance to revise, creating what I call a deadline draft. If you do not submit a deadline draft on time during the semester, I will deduct seventy points from your portfolio grade (enough to lower the score one letter grade). If you do not submit two deadline drafts, you will fail the course.
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Unless otherwise directed, assignments must be emailed to me at gotprofkiefer@gmail.com. You will attach the assignment to an email as a Word or rich text format file; we will discuss how to do this in class. I cannot open Microsoft Works files.
Note: CAS 307 uses Word 2007. While it can read files created in earlier versions of Word, you will need to save Word 2007 files in a special way to ensure they can be read by earlier versions. I will show you how to do this in class.
If I cannot open the file, I will ask you to resubmit it in a file format I can open. You will have twenty-four hours to resubmit the work. If you do not, I will assign the default grade listed on the submitting work chart (included in this packet).
LATE WORK
Assignments are due whether or not you are present. Assignments submitted as attached files are due by the date and time listed on the schedule, on the class blog, and on the assignment sheet. You are responsible for letting me know about any network-related problems that prevent you from submitting assignments.
I will not read deadline drafts turned in 24 hours or more late unless we meet face to face. I am willing to extend deadlines for students with extenuating circumstances if I am approached in advance. Extensions will not be granted for assignments turned in late because of unexcused absences.
Portfolio— At the end of the semester, you will submit an electronic portfolio containing samples of your writing done for the course: the summary/response assignments, your projects and Genre Project.. You will need to include freewrites and rough drafts for the analysis and argument essays. In addition, you will write a reflective introduction explaining why you selected these pieces and evaluating what you learned in the course.
Your portfolio will take the form of a website created using Google Sites through Kean’s servers. You must activate your Kean email account in order to use this version of Google Sites. We will spend time in class practicing this program, and you can access the site on your own.
I will grade the portfolio holistically, using the criteria on the College Composition student information sheet, to determine your score. By waiting until the end of the semester to truly grade your major pieces, I will be able to evaluate everything you have learned about writing. You will also have plenty of time to create the best work you can.
Engaged Participation
Since class discussion and small group work will comprise a majority of in-class work, your engaged participation in these activities is extremely important (hence the below attendance policy). Aside from your participation and presence, it is ASSUMED that you will come prepared to class with your books, other necessary materials,completed homework AND that your cell phones will be TURNED OFF. Repeated use of cell phones during class time will count against your class participation grade.
In addition to your regular attendance, engaged participation, to my mind, includes actively showing each member of this class respect, patience and tolerance. Good writers never work alone, and each of us needs each other to fully succeed in making this class as deep a learning experience as possible. While I am completely committed to my role as the instructor, I am not solely responsible for the progress of each individual in the class and the group at large. Each of you needs to be equally prepared to commit yourselves as best as you are able.
We will spend all of our time in a computer classroom (CAS 307), and I know the Net has several interesting sites to visit. However, it is disrespectful to read unrelated web pages or play games during class. Ten points will be deducted from your participation grade every time you do anything on the computers when the rest of us are not using them. This can cause you to earn a negative participation grade. If we are not using the computers as a class, you must lay the monitor face down on the processor.
The computer penalty also applies to cell phones and other personal electronic devices used without permission. Turn them off before class starts, and keep them stored out of sight. Otherwise, you will lose ten points from your participation grade.
No one, including me, is allowed to bring food or drink in CAS 307. If you bring food or drink into that room, the lab technicians can throw you out of class. If they do, you will be counted absent, and you will lose your participation score for that day. If the lab technician does not throw you out, I will still penalize your participation grade by five points.
My Attendance Policy
The consistent participation and presence of each of you is vital to the continuity, and thus the growth and learning of the entire class. As such, I expect all of you to be here, to be here promptly, and with all necessary work and materials. Absences and latenesses are only recognized as “excused” with appropriate documentation. If you know you will be absent, let me know in advance. Vacation travel is NOT a valid excuse for absence. If you are late and/or miss class repeatedly, your grade will suffer. Three lates equals one absence. More than one absence can affect your final grade. More than two can result in failure of the course. You should obtain cell numbers from peers to contact them for missed assignments.
Kean University Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected in all courses. Attendance will be a component of the grade of any course if so stated in the syllabus. Students are responsible for informing the instructor in advance or in a timely manner of the reasons for their absence. Instructors in consultation with their department chairs are expected to respect university practices and policies regarding what counts as an excused absence. Typically excused absences include illness, bereavement, or religious observances. Serious tardiness may be dealt with at the discretion of the instructor.
Grades
The percentage breakdowns of the primary components of the course upon which your grade rests are: a) 30% of FINAL GRADE – ALL Weekly Reading and Writing Work including but not limited to: SR/PRs, misc freewrites, draft writing and revision, Genre Project presentation and GELAP exams; b) 20% of FINAL GRADE – Participation and Attendance; and c) 50% of FINAL GRADE – Final Portfolio. More detailed information on grading for specific assignments will be distributed.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me. If you would like to know your approximate grade-to-date, give me advance notice and see me during office hours or make an appointment.
Note To Pass: Students must receive a C or higher to satisfy the composition requirement. If a student in 1030 gets a D, s/he must take 1030 again to complete the requirement. Some departments require no less than a B- for their majors, Education majors for example. If you are unsure, talk to someone within your department.
Plagiarism
By enrolling in this course, you join a community requiring intellectual integrity. When you write your name on an assignment, you take credit for the work contained therein. Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty demonstrate a disrespect for the community and will not be tolerated. If guilty of violating this honor code, you may receive an F for the course at the discretion of the faculty member. More information on plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are located online at: http://www.kean.edu/academicintegrity.html. I highly recommend that you review this document for reference now and as you continue your academic career at Kean University.
Kean University Definition of Plagiarism:
Plagiarism. Plagiarism occurs when a person represents someone else’s words, ideas, phrases, sentences, or data as one’s own work. Copying or paraphrasing text without acknowledging the source, for example, is plagiarism.
The Student Code of Conduct
I strongly advise you to take the time to thoroughly review the below link regarding The Student Code of Conduct. Though specifics may vary, codes of conduct are common to Universities and educational institutions across the country. Violations of code can result in suspension from campus activities or, if serious enough, expulsion. Details of this Kean University’s code of conduct and other materials from the Office of Student Conduct are available online at: http://www.kean.edu/~conduct/Welcome.html.
Learning Support
All College Composition students are entitled to tutoring at the Writing Center on the 1st floor of the CAS Building. You can make appointments in person or by phone: (908) 737-0300. Typical hours are: Tuesday-Thursday 9:30AM to 10:30PM, Friday 9:30AM to 5:30PM, Saturday 9:30AM to 3:30PM. Specific times are posted. I advise ALL students to make use of this service which your tuition pays for. If you plan on going, see me as I can provide instructions for the tutor based on our course.
Personal & Disability Support
Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation for any sort of disability, please make an appointment to see me during my office hours. OR, contact the office of Project Excel, CSI room 105A, 908-737-5400 for more information regarding University support for learning and/or other disabilities.
If you suffer from emotionally difficult circumstances, please contact the Kean University Human Relations and Counseling Center for confidential counseling. The Center is located in Room 127 of Downs Hall (908) 737-4850.
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***This syllabus subject to change with notice
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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