Composition II
(English 102)
Spring 2016
Instructor:Janet Stevens
Email:
Mailbox:English Dept., Wheatley 6th floor
Office:Wheatley, 6th floor, Room 42
Office Hours:Mondays & Wednesdays from 11:00-1:00 (and by appt.)
Composition Program office: Wheatley, 6th floor, Room 10
CLASS WIKI: engl102-stevens.wikispaces.umb.edu
I. THE COURSE
Q: What’s this course about? (Or: How is this class different from every other English class?)
This is a course in critical writing, reading, researching, and thinking, with the goals being for you to become stronger writers, readers, researchers and thinkers.
●This course is (possibly) different from other English courses in that we won’t be studying fiction, novels or poetry; instead, we’ll mostly be reading non-fiction.
●This course is (possibly) different from other English courses in that your own research and your own analysis have significant weight – much more weight than what I think. This means that you won’t be parroting a thesis statement that I’ve provided, but you’ll be generating your own ideas and positions and pursuing them with the readings you select.
●This course is (possibly) different from other English courses in that writing is the subject, and readings will be used in order to develop our writing.
Please note: Your own writing (and that of your peers) will sometimes function as the focal point of instruction, so… do not write about anything private. Student writing will often be anonymously distributed, read, and responded to in class. Please be prepared for this.
Q: What are the goals of the course? (Or, what can I say I’m able to do come May?)
●Finding an interesting, productive focus and developing a coherent line of thought.
●Crafting an engaged response to readings/topics while working carefully with sources.
●Effectively using apt examples and quotations (and citing them appropriately).
●Engaging in the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, peer responding, and revising.
●Conducting research, which involves seeking out sources, engaging with and evaluating the sources, and producing writing which directly responds to and expands upon those texts.
●Learning to write for different academic audiences.
●Improving organization, style, and mechanics.
Q: Why am I required to take this course? (Or, how does this course relate to my major?)
●To prepare you for upper-level coursework, much of which requires critical reading, writing and thinking regardless of your intended major.
●To prepare you for the university-wide Writing Proficiency Requirement.
●To be better able to generate, develop, and support your own unique concepts—which will make you a more marketable job candidate.
●To be a better consumer in the marketplace of ideas—which will make you a more engaged citizen.
Q. What are the assignments about? (Or, will the units be interesting?)
The course will be broken up into three main units:
●The first unit will ask you to consider what the qualities and features of good writing are, working with both student-produced work and published writing including an essay by Psychologist and Linguist Steven Pinker.
●The second unit will invite you to explore the boundaries and complications of free speech, examining the Charlie Hebdo shooting and self-selected cases of free speech events.
●The third unit will invite you to combine observation, interviews, and outside research about a group to write your own ethnographic essay.
Q: Which texts are required? (Or, am I going to go broke at the Bookstore?)
All readings will be made available to you on the class wiki: engl102-stevens.wikispaces.umb.edu
You are required to print out each reading and bring it to class
II. THE POLICIES
Q: What will affect my grade? (Or, how can I get an A?)
●Unit 1 Revision: 25%
●Unit 2 Revision: 25%
●Unit 3 Revision: 25%
●Unit 4 Reflection: 10%
●Homework and Participation* will be worth a combined 15%
Note 1: Participation for this course does not necessarily mean speaking up in class; rather, there are many ways in which your participation will be evaluated. These ways include: punctual attendance, class preparedness, engagement with in-class activities (individual and team), engagement with out-of-class activities (homework assignments and drafts), peer response, mini conferencing and, of course, vocal contributions.
Note 2: There is no final in this course.
Q: What if I miss an assignment? (Or, what if I’m sick, I don’t feel like doing homework, I’m busy with other coursework, the internet breaks …)
Here's the policy for homework assignments:
●You can expect to be asked to complete an assignment for nearly each class. The instructions and due dates will be provided on the class wiki.
●Homework will only be accepted on the day that it is due in print form.
●If you are absent from class the day an assignment is due, you may bring it to the next class. Since all homework assignments are posted to the wiki, missing class does not excuse you from knowing what is due for the subsequent class. Of course, if you miss more than one class in a row, come meet with me / email me so we can work things out.
Here’s the policy for essays:
●Major stages of the writing process are required (drafts & revisions).
●Drafts are required, but not formally graded (completion of drafts count toward your participation average). Revisions are graded.
●I must receive a draft before a revision.
●For each dayafter your draft or revision is due, your grade for that essay will be reduced by one notch (i.e., a B becomes a B-).
●If your draft or revision is not submitted by one week after its original due date, you will receive a zero for that essay grade.
●If unexpected circumstances arise, please be in touch with me before the paper's due date.
Note: You are given 200 free prints each semester. After that, each printed page costs 10 cents. If you choose to print all readings, homework assignments, drafts and revisions, you can expect to print roughly 250 pages, meaning this course will cost you $25. Considering you’re not being asked to purchase any books, this should be a low cost for printing.
Q: Do I have to come to every class? (Or, what if I just need a day off from school?)
Here is the English Department attendance policy:
●Attendance is required. If you miss more than six (6) classes, you cannot expect to pass the course.
●A reason for your absence only explainsyour absence, it does not excuse it.
●It is in your best interest to email me when you know you're going to be absent.
●You get three (3) free absences. Thereafter, each absence has the ability to negatively impact your participation average.
●Note: If you miss more than six (6) classes, you cannot expect to pass this course.
Q: What if I come to class late? (Or, what if the shuttles are just really, really slow?)
●You get one (1) free late arrival. After that, every late arrival will negatively impact your participation grade. If you arrive late more than 6 times, each subsequent late arrival will count as an absence and toward your accumulated total of absences.
Q. When is everything due? (Or, where the heck is your detailed schedule of each class?)
While it is typical that many college syllabi contain a very explicit schedule of what is due for each class, this course will not operate that way. Sometimes I may slow a unit down or speed something up depending on the needs of our particular class; therefore, due dates can likely fluctuate by a day or two, rendering a detailed schedule useless. That said, you can expect to receive draft and revision instructions for each essay at least a week in advance of the due date. The homework and in-class assignments will be carefully sequenced so that your participation in them will make the larger stages of the writing process more easily achievable in the one-week timeframe.
III. STUDENT ESSENTIALS
UMB Email
It is important—for this class and for your ability to effectively operate as a student in this university—for you to be able to read emails sent to your @umb.edu account in a timely fashion. That means either committing to checking your @umb.edu email daily or setting up your email account to forward all items to a more frequently checked email address. This is the method through which I will contact you directly. Do not utilize a personal email address to communicate with me.
Please be aware that you need to remember the password to your UMB email account even if you set it to forward to your personal email account. Your UMB email username and password are the same ones you’ll need to access Blackboard, the Wikispaces site, wireless on campus, printing on campus, campus computers, and the Emergency Alert Notification System (accessed through WISER).
For questions/problems/concerns, call the IT Service Desk at 617-287-5220 or email at , open Monday through Friday from 8am to 6pm.
University Policies & Resources
Students can face a variety of situations for which I, your English instructor, am likely not the best resource. Fortunately, as described in the materials you have received from the university, UMB provides such resources for various student needs. Should such needs arise, I encourage you to contact the appropriate resource—i.e., the one specifically trained to help you.
University Advising Center:
617 287 5500
Campus center, 1st floor
University Health Services:
UHS Counseling Center: 617 287 5690
Quinn, 2nd floor
UHS General Medicine: 617 287 5660
Quinn, room 2 – 040
Ross Center for Disability Services:
617 287 7430
Campus Center, Upper Level, room 211
- If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this class, please know that UMass Boston has resources that can help you succeed in your coursework. Please contact the Ross Center for Disabilities to receive official university services and accommodations; they will provide you with documentation that you then bring to your instructor. Your instructor is not required to adhere to any modifications that have not been required by the Ross Center, so obtaining that documentation and sharing it with your instructors is critical.
Academic Support Services:
617 287 6550
Campus Center, room 1-1300
International Student Services:
617 287 5500
Campus Center, first floor, room 1100.07
Student Veterans Center:
617.287.798
3100 Campus Center, on the left in the back
Public Safety: 617 287 1212 (from cell phone) or 911 (from campus phone)
Plagiarism and Student Conduct:
Students are required to adhere to the University Policy on Academic Standards and Cheating, to the University Statement on Plagiarism and the Documentation of Written Work, and to the Code of Student Conduct as delineated in the Catalog of Undergraduate Programs. The Code is available online at: We will review the rules for citation in class, and you will be responsible for properly documenting all sources.
Emergency Evacuation: You must evacuate when a fire alarm is sounded. Take your valuables and follow the exit signs. Once outside, move away from the building.
NOTE: The best way to reach me is by email:
I will check my email several times a day and get back to you as promptly as I can.