English Composition 101, Fall 2007
MWF 8:30-9:20, Krug Hall 209 (section 002)
MWF 9:30-10:20, Innovation Hall 209 (section 004)
Instructor: Danika Stegeman Office: Robinson A 468
Contact: dstegema@gmu.edu Office Hours: MW 10:30-12:00
Course Overview:
This course is designed to help you read, write, and think at a college level. Part of being a college student is becoming aware of the world of ideas around you. During the semester, you will learn to use writing and reading as tools for exploring and reflecting on our own ideas to contribute to the global community. In order to persuade and inform your own readers, you will develop critical reading, argumentation, and research strategies to support your writing. English 101 also exposes writing as a rhetorical process; you will explore beneficial ways to break down writing tasks into smaller steps such as generating and organizing ideas, investigating your topic, creating early drafts, seeking feedback from your peers, and revising. You will also improve your ability to adapt your writing to the needs of an audience or situation, and your ability to revise and edit your own writing. Ultimately, when you leave at the end of the semester, you will be equipped with the skills and awareness needed to enter the academic and global arenas of life.
Required Texts:
• Johnson, June Global Issues, Local Arguments
• Trimble, John R. Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing (2nd Edition)
Course Requirements:
Your grade in the course will be based on your writing, both for formal assignments and in-class assignments. A large portion of what you learn will take place during class discussion and in-class exercises. As a result, it is essential that you come to class prepared to discuss the material. You will be expected to contribute to class discussion and actively participate in group activities.
Blog:
This course has both a blog to accentuate your learning experience. Assignment prompts, the syllabus, some readings in addition to those found in your textbooks, and reminders about in class assignments can be found at:
http://stegeman101.blogspot.com/
I am not asking you to post anything—I am sure you have enough blog-posting activity outside of class work—so you will not need to have a username. Just look at the blog when instructed or when you have lost a paper copy of something or don’t know what is due for class.
Grading: Due:
Narrative Exploration Essay 20% 9/19
Annotated Bibliography for Research Essay 20% 10/10, 10/26
Art as an Expression of Argument Essay 25% 11/5, 11/19
Letter to Senator or Editor 15% 11/28, 12/7
Class participation/weekly assignments 10%
Student-led discussion 10%
You will earn an A (4.0), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B (3.0), B- (2.67), C+ (2.33), C (2.0), or NC (no credit). You must earn a grade of C or higher to complete the 101 requirement. If you earn an NC, you will have to retake Engl 101, but a grade of NC will not affect your GPA.
Essays:
A prompt describing each essay and what you are expected to write will be handed out before the paper is due. If you like to work ahead, all of the prompts for the essays you are assigned can be viewed on the blog.
Class participation/weekly assignments:
In addition to weekly short writing assignments, indicated on the syllabus and viewable on the blog under the “Write” heading near the top, right-hand side of the blog, I will be giving you quizzes to make sure you do the assigned readings (also listed on the blog under “Read”). p.s., I am a huge fan of pop quizzes.
Student-led discussions:
You will be required to present on one of the topics listed in the course schedule as “101” that are highlighted in green. You will be in charge of researching and becoming the expert on that topic so that you can explain it in an interesting manner to the rest of the class. You may work in groups of 2 to 3. I will have a sign-up sheet that lists all of the topics for you to select in the first week of class. I will give a sample presentation for the first week, “Thesis Statements 101,” so that you will have an idea of what a presentation should look like. You will be graded by me and reviewed by your peers, so be sure to prepare and do your best work.
Late Assignment Policy:
Turn your assignments in on time. Late assignments will be accepted only in case of emergency or other serious extenuating circumstances. If you need to turn an assignment in late and you have a valid excuse, you will need to contact me via e-mail to explain.
Attendance Policy:
Show up for class. A significant portion of your grade depends upon your showing up for class and participating. Attendance will be taken daily. As with late assignments, if you must miss class due to an emergency or other situation that is beyond your control, you must contact me via e-mail and explain the reason for your absence.
Plagiarism:
According to the English Department’s Statement on Plagiarism:
Plagiarism means using the exact words, opinions, or factual information from another person without giving that person credit. Writers give credit through accepted documentation styles, such as parenthetical citation, footnotes or endnotes; a simple listing of books and articles is not sufficient. Plagiarism is the equivalent of intellectual robbery and cannot be tolerated in an academic setting.
Don’t plagiarize. There will be consequences, I assure you.
Writing Center:
The Writing Center is a free service for GMU students. Tutors in the Writing Center can work one-on-one with you at any stage of your writing process. Though they will not merely proofread your papers or serve as an editor for your paper, they can help you find ways to develop and improve your writing. You are encouraged to take advantage of their services. The Writing Center is located in Robinson A114. Phone: 3-1200 Website: http://writingcenter.gmu.edu
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:
If you have a disability documented with the Disability Resource Center that may affect your work in this course, please let me know as soon as possible. The Disability Resource Center is located in Sub I, Room 234, and the phone number is 3-2474
