GLYER 11
Freshman Writing Seminar
Fall 2003
Dr. Glyer, #29 Rose Garden, ext. 3486,
my writing conference day & time:______
INFORMATION ABOUT ME:
Name ______e-mail______
campus address______phone______
INFORMATION ABOUT MY WRITING GROUP:
Name ______e-mail______
address______phone______
Name ______e-mail______
address______phone______
Name ______e-mail______
address______phone______
Name ______e-mail______
address______phone______
ENG 110: Freshman Writing Seminar
Azusa Pacific University Fall 2000
Note: This syllabus is tentative. It incorporates the
very best information currently available. However, it is
subject to modification as the semester progresses.
CLASS OVERVIEW
Professor: Dr. Glyer
Office: Faculty Quad #29 (in the rose garden, near the Wilden Business Building)
Office Phone: (626) 815-6000 ext. 3486, 24 hour voice mail
E-mail:
Office Hours:
About Office Hours: This is set aside for you, to answer your questions, go over assignments, review class material, or just share a cup of coffee and talk. This is time I set aside specifically to be with YOU: I hope you will feel free to stop by or call during this time. In addition, I am often in my office at other times. If my mini-blinds are open, that means I am available and you are welcome to drop in. If they are closed, it means I am working and do not want to be disturbed. If it is helpful, we can make a specific appointment to meet at a different time.
CLASS GOALS
Departmental Goals: The Department of English introduces students to significant works of the literary imagination, guides their development in language and composition, and encourages them to read attentively, reflect deeply, write cogently, and express themselves creatively, all to glorify God and serve others.
Course Description (from the catalog): This course promotes the development of analytical and writing skills through composition of expository essays. Seminar topics, addressing issues pertinent to Christian liberal arts, will vary with instructor. Universal requirements will include argumentative and research papers. Meets general studies requirement for English and University Skills.
Course Description (from the General Studies Guidelines): An essential goal of the general studies program is the educating of students to express themselves adequately in written form. The development of writing skills will be stressed in various content areas and at increasing levels of complexity from the freshman to the senior year. Language is the essential tool for God's communication with us, ours with Him and with each other. It is also a lens through which we perceive reality beyond our immediate physical and cultural environment. Skill in more than one language provides additional lenses, moving us from the provincialism of a monolingual perspective toward the intercultural and international understanding required to be a worthy citizen of our global village.
Course Description (from the course list): Writer’s Workshop: In this section of Freshman Writing Seminar, students will complete essays on topics that they choose, plus an extensive self evaluation. Class will be conducted workshop style, with a major emphasis on peer review and extensive revision. In addition to regular class times, students will be required to meet each week for individual writing conferences with the instructor.
Course Description (from the heart): This is a writing course, so we will write a lot.
Course Description (for the record): There is one paper due each and every week. We will write three major papers: a profile, a position paper, and a solution paper. Each of these three papers will go through four versions: a rough draft, a version one (V1), a version two (V2) and a version three (V3).
Students will choose their own topics. Keep in mind that your papers will be shared with the other students in class: do not choose a topic that you would be reluctant to discuss with others.
Each student will meet with the professor every week for a ten minute writing conference. These writing conferences are absolutely required. It is an important time for us to go through your papers together.
Key Concepts and Principles:
What exactly are you supposed to learn in this class? Here, in summary form, are the key concepts and principles that we will cover in this class. All of them contribute toward the same goal: to equip you to succeed at the type of college writing assignments that you will face as a student at Azusa Pacific University. In this class, the student will:
1. Study the process of writing, and improve his/her own writing process.
2. Learn to assess the different kinds of requirements that are inherent in different kinds of writing assignments.
3. Understand the basics of research, including interview techniques, the use of Marshburn Library, Darling Library, the Internet, and both MLA and APA forms of parenthetical citations.
4. Apply critical thinking and sound logic in arguing a position.
5. Understand and exercise the criteria that college professors and others use to evaluate good writing, and to use those criteria consistently in evaluating their own work and the work of their colleagues.
6. Learn to avoid the most common errors in grammar/usage.
CLASSROOM POLICIES
Textbooks: The most important text for the course will be the papers you and your colleagues write. Do not insult us with sloppy, hasty work. Do not bore us with lame, limp prose. In addition, you must purchase two books and bring them to each class session:
Required:
A Writer’s Reference by Diana Hacker Fifth Edition. This is a standard reference book. It is a text for you to KEEP because it will answer questions you have about writing and usage in any class you take.
The Concise Guide to Writing by Axelrod and Cooper Second Edition. This book will walk you step by step through all of the assignments we will complete in this class. In addition, it has excellent advice on writing processes.
The Craft of Revision by Donald Murray.
Attendance: You are signed up for this class and want credit for taking this class, so I expect you to attend this class, that is to say, show up on time, stay the entire class period, and participate fully in each class the whole time you are there.
Students often ask me how many times they are allowed to cut my class. The answer is that every single absence will have a negative effect on your grade. For one thing, we have frequent quizzes, homework and in-class writing. And if you have an unexcused absence, you can’t make up those assignments. If you arrive late, you can’t make up the assignment either.
Let me try to explain it this way. We will meet twenty-eight times this semester. Each time we meet, a paper is due or a homework assignment is due or a quiz will be given. In addition, I will give an “attendance quiz” at least twice in the semester, unannounced, and you will get ten points just for being there.
That’s roughly 300 possible points. Now let’s say you are an above average student, and get 80% on most of what you hand in. That gives you an average of 240 points: good for you. But say you “forget” to come to class a couple times. Or you wander in late, after papers have been collected. You get a zero for the day. Do that only TWICE in the semester, and all of a sudden you are averaging 220 points, or 73%. Seventy-three percent is a “C.”
I’m concerned about tardiness, too. Here’s how I handle it: assignments are checked at the beginning of class, and quizzes are given at the beginning of class. If you are late, I won’t accept your work.
And if you walk out early, I’ll return your work to you. Ungraded.
One more thing. Six unexcused absences are sufficient grounds for failing the course.
Why such a brutal policy? Three reasons. First, you are a member of a classroom community, and your behavior has a profound effect on the other members of this community. It is my job to create an atmosphere in which all of my students can do their very best work. Having people wander in and out is distracting and disturbing and downright rude, and no-one works well under those circumstances.
Second, you want me to give you credit for attending this class. I can’t do that with a clear conscience if you have not --truly-- taken this class. That means showing up AND participating.
For me, it is a matter of integrity.
Third, there is the matter of mutual respect. You are important to me. I’m giving you my very best in this class. I’ll do everything I know how to respect you as an individual, encourage you in Christ, present material in an interesting, enthusiastic, challenging, honest way. I’m expecting the same kind of interest and effort from you.
What about excused absences? For an absence to be excused, there must be 3 components:
· first, you must tell me ahead of time when and why you will miss this class;
· second, you must have a legitimate excuse (class trips, sickness, funeral, etc.);
· third, you must meet with me afterward to make up the work.
I’m a stickler about attendance. I want you here. I want you on time. I expect you to be attentive and participate actively the whole class period. I expect you to stay until the end of class.
Participation: Attending class is an important part of your job, but it isn’t the whole story. Participation in every class session is very important. Get actively involved in the learning process. Don’t be a passive listener! Never underestimate the power you have to make a positive impact on the energy and progress that we make as a class. If class is boring, lifeless, irrelevant, if the dialogue falls flat, the students are not responsive, the professor talks too much, or the back row is disrespectful, ask yourself this questions: what can I do to be an instrument of energy, life, light, creativity, encouragement, focus, and intellectual energy in this class? Do it.
Good participation begins with good preparation. That includes careful attention to reading and writing assignments, and frequent review of class notes. College classes require two hours of outside prep for each hour of classroom time: schedule it. And set aside time to regularly reread your class notes and textbook and review the key class material. This regular review will really pay off when it is time for midterms and finals.
During class, you should ask at least one question and make at least one comment every time we get together. That is your charge. Ask questions. Make comments. Express your opinion. That way, our class will become an interesting and energetic conversation among interesting and energetic writers.
During writing conferences, you should come prepared with two complete typed copies of your work and at least two questions (attached with post-its) about your work. The amount of substantial input you receive depends a great deal on your thoughtful questions!
During group work and peer review, your input is especially important. We will work in groups to generate ideas, repair rough drafts, and to encourage and support each other. This interaction is one of the most important things that we do.
Policy on Collaboration and Plagiarism: [adapted from David Esselstrom] Writing is a collaborative art, especially in this class where conferencing and writing groups are built into the schedule. Talking about your paper with a spouse, roommate, friend, etc. is also encouraged, not only for this class, but also for other classes that involve writing. Collaboration is good.
On the other hand, passing off somebody else’s work as your own (because you copied it out of a book, paraphrased it out of a book, bought a paper from a research paper service, downloaded it from the Internet, wrote down ideas that someone else was dictating to you, recycled an essay written by someone else, or had someone else rewrite your paper for you) is plagiarism. It is unethical, illegal, and, in a college course, sufficient grounds for failure of the course and dismissal from this school. Don’t do it. When in doubt, cite. If you are unsure of something, ask. BTW, Hacker gives excellent advice on avoiding plagiarism in A Writer’s Reference.
A Note About Special Resources: Any student in this course who has a disability that might prevent him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities should meet with an advisor in the Learning Enrichment Center as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure your full participation in the successful completion of course requirements.
About the grading scale:
Your final grade for the class will be based on three unit papers (30%), a writing portfolio (20%),
a comprehensive final exam (10%), and your quiz/homework average (40%). I use the following guidelines to grade your written assignments:
A Outstanding work. (90-100%) Above and beyond the requirements of the assignment, above and beyond merely competent work. Outstanding effort, significant achievement, and personal improvement are clearly evident. Some measure of remarkable skill, creativity or energy is also evident.
B Above average. (80-89%) A “B” paper fulfills all aspects of the assignment and goes a bit beyond minimum competence to demonstrate extra effort, extra achievement or extra improvement.