------English 101-51D: College Writing------
Instructor: Ms. Amy Berrier Email:
Office: MHRA 3112A
Mailbox: MHRA 3317 Virtual Office Hours: M/W 10am-12pm
Class Time: Weekly Modules open on Mondays and close on Saturdays.Please consult the Course Schedule for more detailed information.
------Required Materials:
Ø Blevins, S. Brenta, Lilly Berberyan, and Alison M. Johnson. Rhetorical Approaches to College Writing. Plymouth: Hayden-McNeil, 2017. ISBN: 978-073808249-3
Ø We will be reading chapters from the online composition book Writing Spaces and Writing Commons and also watching various TED talks and podcasts. The links or PDF’s will be posted on Canvas under their corresponding week.
Class Description:
Welcome to English 101! This course focuses on developing your ability to write with intention and confidence, to inquire and do research as support for your ideas, and to locate the most effective rhetorical strategies for communicating with your audience. We all come to this class with different abilities and skill sets and this class will to help you develop these abilities by exploring various rhetorical strategies and applying them to both your own writing and the writing of others. This class also places importance on thoughtful and deliberate revision of your own writing and providing useful feedback to your classmates.
Section Description:
This section of ENG 101 is a fully asynchronous online course. As this is an online course, you will need to routinely (I suggest once a day) access course content and assignments and respond to our ongoing class discussions. You will also need to monitor Canvas regularly for announcements. Be vigilant, don’t let yourself fall behind, and email me with any questions you have about the course or the assignments.
Technology Requirements:
· Internet access (via library or computer lab if a personal desktop, laptop, or tablet is not available).
· mailto:
· Note: I will only communicate with you via your Spartan account or through Canvas.
Student Learning Outcomes and Course Requirements:
English 101 satisfies three of the six hours of the Reasoning and Discourse (GRD) requirement at UNCG, which asserts that students “gain skills in intellectual discourse, including constructing cogent arguments, locating, synthesizing and analyzing documents, and writing and speaking clearly, coherently, and effectively” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2016-2017/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program/General-Education-Core-CategoryMarker-Descriptions).
In addition, English 101 is designed to address Learning Goal #1 (LG1) in the UNCG General Education Program. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.” (http://uncg.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2016-2017/Undergraduate-Bulletin/University-Requirements/General-Education-Program).
The following are the English 101 Student Learning Outcomes, each of which corresponds to both the GRD goals and to LG1:
A. English 101 Student Learning Outcomes:
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Analyze the content and structure of complex texts (written, oral, and/or visual in nature);
2. Compose cogent, evidence-based, argumentative texts;
3. Identify and employ the rhetorical triangle, the canons, and the appeals in both formal and informal discourse;
4. Summarize, quote, paraphrase, and synthesize source material in support of an argument;
5. Employ drafting, peer review, and revision techniques in order to improve content, style, and structure of their own writing;
6. Appraise their own composing abilities and composing processes through critical reflection.
UNCG Course Policies:
Academic Integrity: “Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at file://localhost/<http/::academicintegrity.uncg.edu>.I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. If I find evidence of plagiarism, I will judge what is best for the situation, from rewriting the assignment to giving you an F for the semester.
*If I have reason to believe you have not abided by the Academic Integrity Policy, I will meet with you (virtually or in person) to discuss the matter. With one violation, you risk failing the assignment and being reported to the Dean of Students. With two or more violations, you risk failing the course and being reported to the Dean of Students
Accommodations: Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see or talk with me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (http://ods.uncg.edu/) on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: mailto:.”
Behavior Tied to This Course: Respect for others and their ideas are expected in this course. Therefore, disruptive and disrespectful behavior (including language use) will not be tolerated, and action to deter it will be taken. This standard of respect includes, but is not limited to, being courteous and open-minded during discussion board posts. This will be the main activity during which you will you be interacting with one another, and it is thus important that you treat these conversations as professional meetings. Trolling of any form is unacceptable. While you have every right to oppose other people's ideas and it is often beneficial to express and discuss disagreements pertaining to academic study, there is a difference between civil disagreement and hostility.
If behavioral disruptions persists throughout the semester, the student in question will be asked to refrain from participating in discussion boards, peer reviews, etc., and will lose points for those assignments accordingly. I reserve the right to interpret inappropriate words or deeds as I see fit and address them accordingly. The UNCG Disruptive Behavior Policy describes words and deeds as follows:
“Disruptive is behavior which the UNCG regards as speech or action which 1) is disrespectful, offensive, and/or threatening, 2) impedes or interferes with the learning activities of other students, 3) impedes the delivery of university services, and/or 4) has a negative impact in any learning environment.
Disruptive behavior includes physically, verbally or psychologically harassing, threatening, or acting abusively toward an instructor, staff member, or toward other students in any activity authorized by the University. Disruptive behavior also includes any other behavior covered by the Student Conduct Code.”
For the entire policy, go tohttp://sa.uncg.edu/handbook/wp-content/uploads/disruptive_policy.pdf
Virtual Classroom Policies:
Attendance and Participation: You are expected to virtually attend, and be prepared for, every scheduled assignment, discussion post and response, quiz, and peer review. I expect you to complete all assignments. This means having read your assignments, watched the appropriate videos, and prepared and submitted any required written work. I will permit you to miss 3 responses to your peers’ discussion board posts without penalty to your attendance (although you will lose the points for Canvas discussion posts).
To be clear: You can miss responses to 3 peer discussion board posts with no penalty. Upon the fourth, you will lose a full letter grade from your total course grade at the end of the semester. Upon a fifth, you risk failing the course.
Students are by state law allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays. These absences do not count toward the total maximums allowed above. If a student plans to miss class due to a religious holiday, he or she must notify the instructor in writing at least 48 hours prior to the absence.
If you have extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family, chronic illness/injury requiring prolonged medical treatment, prolonged psychological issues, etc., you should make the instructor aware of these as soon as possible and keep him or her informed until you are able to return to class. You are also encouraged to contact the Dean of Students Office (http://sa.uncg.edu/dean/), which can review documentation and notify multiple instructors on your behalf, especially if personal reasons prevent you from properly doing so yourself. You should be aware, however, that assistance from this Office does not change the outcome of the instructor’s decision in any particular class.The Dean of Students office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC).
Drafts of Essays (SLOs 2, 5): You will write, rewrite, and revise your essays en route to producing a final draft of each essay. All rough drafts are to be at least half-drafts, meaning that if the project requires a minimum of say, 3 pages, then your rough draft should be at least 1.5 pages.
Rough drafts, while not formally graded on their own, are required for each project; if you do not submit a rough draft for a project, you will receive a zero on that project. While you are required to submit at least one rough draft, there is no maximum number of rough drafts you can submit.
Keep all earlier versions and revisions of each assignment in separate documents; they may be requested for use during conferencing, or for your portfolio. Because the portfolio's critical rationale will ask you to compare your rough and final drafts, you will need to be able to see the difference between your documents. If you do not save your rough and final drafts as separate documents, you will have a ridiculously hard time comparing them for the sake of the rationale! Save everything in separate files until the end of the semester.
Peer Workshops (SLOs 1, 3-5): In addition to writing essays, you will participate in peer review workshops before submitting every formal project. You will read and comment on drafts of your classmates’ papers via email, Canvas chat, or Skype—however you choose to communicate with one another, just so long as you conference about your work before the assigned deadline on the course schedule. Whichever method you choose, be sure to answer in writing all the peer review questions that I have posed for you, as your peers use that same information to revise their own work. If you fail to provide thoughtful feedback to your review partners by the assigned deadline, the highest grade you can receive on a formal assignment (Projects 1-4) is a C (75%).
Take peer review seriously. Not only will your classmates depend on your comments to strengthen their writing, but you also will depend on theirs. You offer a unique take on their ideas, and you might be able to stimulate and challenge their intellect in a beneficial way.
Regular use of Canvas and email: You are required to use Canvas in this course. I will post our class syllabus, resources & readings, as well as assignments, exercises, and announcements to the Canvas course site. Please familiarize yourself with the system and ask me for help if needed.
You are also expected to regularly check your email account. Please note that I will only use your uncg.edu and Canvas email accounts; I will not send emails to any other account. I highly encourage you to get in the habit of checking your uncg.edu and Canvas email accounts at least once a day.
Grading Scale: In keeping with University grading policies, I utilize the full range of grades from A to F (including plusses and minuses). UNCG defines an A as excellent; a B as good; a C as average; a D as lowest passing grade; and an F as failure. In adherence to this scale, you should understand that a C means you successfully met the requirements of the course, not that you did poorly, which would be indicated by either a D or an F. Likewise, an A or B indicate that you met and exceeded course requirements.
I will post your grades to Canvas so that you can keep track of your performance in the course throughout the semester. Please let me know if you find any inputting errors. In keeping with FERPA guidelines, I will not discuss your grades in discussion boards or any type of public forum.
In order to receive a final grade, you must also complete the anonymous online course evaluation by Friday, May 5.
Assignment Submission:All projects will be submitted electronically as a Word document . Please name your file as follows; Last name, Project #, ENG 101. In addition, all papers will use 12 point font, Times New Roman, and use 1' inch margins on the sides. All papers that require citation will correctly cite in-text and on a works cited page in MLA or APA citation style.
Late Work:I do not give credit for late work, and I do not accept late work. I do accept early work; if you know that you might have extenuating circumstances that could affect your timely submission of an assignment, please submit it early. Computer problems do not qualify as an excuse for turning in things late. To avoid missing assignments due to technological problems, I suggest that you submit your work as you complete it rather than waiting until close to the deadline. If you wait until the last day, you have assumed the risk of a technical problem precluding you from finishing the work on time.
Technology:In order to fully participate in this course, you must have a reliable Internet connection. Bad Internet connection is not an excuse for missing an assignment; please give yourself plenty of time to submit assignments and have a contingency plan (like a campus or a public library computer). Additionally, it is always a good practice to save your work online (such as DropBox or Google Docs) in addition to your hard drive.
If you’re still having difficulties, you can visit 6-TECH online and 6-tech.uncg.edu or call them at (336) 256-TECH (8324).
Email and Correspondence:E-mail is the best way to reach me outside of class. During “virtual office hours,” I will be available to communicate with you in real time (this includes responding to emails and availability on Google Chat through iSpartan). Outside of virtual office hours, I will periodically check my email between 9AM and 4PM EST on weekdays. I will always strive to answer email within 24 hours with the exception of weekends and university holidays; if I haven’t responded to your message within 24 hours, please re-send the message. In the unlikely event that illness or personal emergencies prevent me from responding, I will post a notice to this effect on Canvas.