Composition I: 52-1151-24 

Fall, 2006 / Monday & Wednesday: 4:00 – 5:15 p.m. / (Room 420B, Congress building)

Instructor: Kristin Scott, MFA, A.M.  

Department of English, Columbia College Chicago

   Course Syllabus   Required & Useful Text/Resources    Contact Instructor

Course Description

This course will focus on listening, thinking, reading, and writing. Through classroom activities and work outside of class, you'll explore the process of writing through stages: brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading. You'll create your own writing journal to practice and develop critical thinking skills and effective strategies. The written assignments will emphasize expressive and persuasive writing and reading skills, giving you an opportunity to practice writing and reading for and about the self and others. The intention of the course is for you to learn to communicate effectively through your writing and to grow as thinkers, in general. Students are expected to share intellectual responsibility with both the class and the instructor through active participation.

Goals and Objectives

By the end of Composition I, students will:    Use processes of brainstorming, drafting, revising, and editing to compose original essays that generate and communicate personal and intellectual discoveries. Develop a controlling idea, exploring it in depth with illustrative detail.  Use organizational strategies appropriate to audience and purpose.  Craft coherent, well-developed paragraphs and sentences free from distracting grammatical error.  Read and respond to student and published writing critically.  Respond to 2-3 published authors in the context of an essay, using MLA citation.  Select and analyze evidence, utilize effective and imaginative descriptive language, further develop their personal style of writing, and construct interpretive and evaluative arguments of increasing quality.  Write and think critically about the interdisciplinary nature of the production and reception of art.  Demonstrate how formal and aesthetic qualities of art produce meaning.  Understand the ways in which cultural artifacts shape, and are shaped, by their historical and cultural context.

Format

The class has a discussion/workshop format, with some moments of lecture. This class relies most heavily, however, on interactive dialogue and class participation. Class readings will mostly include selected readings that will provided to you by the instructor, some occasional handouts regarding composition and/or grammar, both of which will sometimes be provided to you online. For the most part, with occasional deviations, you will participate in writing workshops on Mondays and discuss the bulk of your readings on Wednesdays.

Assignments

You will write a total of four essays. The total of these four essays will count for 60% of your final grade. The first and second essays will be 3-4 pages, with 1 optional source. The third paper will be 4-5 pages, with 1 source. On the fourth paper, you will have a choice to either engage in a critical encounters Essay Smash on the topic of HIV/AIDS (which will involve the production of a creative performative 100 word prose piece from your research, along with a final two page process paper) OR produce a regular 6 page research paper (topic of your choosing); both choices will require a minimum of two published sources. All four essay assignments cumulatively represent a major part of this course, so all assignments must be turned in on time.    Final papers, with the exception of the last one (#4), may be rewritten for a better grade, but must be turned in within two weeks after they are returned to you. Below is the format you must use for each paper you turn in (see example):     Each paper must be typed and double-spaced, with 1-inch margins and 12-point Times New Roman font.  Each paper should contain: your name; course name & assignment; my name; and the date on the upper left corner of the first page of the paper.  The title (your own title) should be centered on the page after the identifying information. The final paper will only contain the title. Subsequent pages should have a page number and your last name. Always keep ALL drafts of EVERY paper!     Late Drafts: Late drafts will not be accepted. No matter what you have written or how much, you MUST turn in each draft, as assigned, by the morning it is due, or you will receive a ZERO for the draft.   Late Papers: Late papers will be accepted, but a letter grade will be deducted for each DAY they are late (NOT each class period).    Response Papers: Your response papers will count for 15% of your final grade. Each reading assignment requires a brief 2 page response paper. Follow the guidelines that are given with each response assignment. DO NOT summarize the reading in your responses (I will discuss my expectations for the response assignments with you in class). Assume the person reading your response is familiar with the essay. Examine deeper themes and thoughts in your responses, referring to examples within the text to support your response.   Quizzes: Throughout the semester I will be giving you quizzes on reading assignments and handouts if I feel it is necessary (though if I believe that everyone is keeping up with their assigned readings, I will not feel quizzes are necessary). The quizzes will usually be in the form of short essays (usually 2 paragraphs of handwritten work). These quizzes will be added into your total response paper grade. Additionally, there will also be quizzes on MLA format/usage and on grammar, for which we will be using A Writer's Resource to facilitate our discussions. So make sure that you do each and every reading assigned (and do not skim the readings).

FINAL PORTFOLIOS

At the end of the semester, you are required to turn in a portfolio: a binder full of ALL DRAFTS of ALL PAPERS, ALL FINAL PAPERS, and ALL RESPONSE ASSIGNMENTS, as well as any quizzes you took, ALL PEER REVIEWS, and any other work you did in this class (for example, if you were given any opportunities for extra credit, or decided to rewrite a paper for a better grade, you would include that work in your final portfolio).    I therefore highly recommend that you purchase a large binder at the beginning of this course and start keeping everything you write in this binder! These binders will be available to you again approximately three weeks after the spring semester begins, if you would like them returned.    5% of your final grade will be dependent on the progress that you have personally made since the beginning of this course, which can only be determined if you have included all of your work in these final portfolios.

Writing Center

The Writing Center is for ALL students at ALL levels of writing. The type of consultation the center offers is simply a standard part of the successful writing process. You can use the center by making an appointment over the phone or drop in on the hour. You may also elect to sign up for a weekly hour-long session, at a time of your choosing to meet with the same consultant. Each consultant has a background in most of the majors offered at Columbia. Using the Writing Center will undoubtedly raise the level of success you achieve in any class that requires writing (of any kind). Columbia is home to one of the largest and most successful writing centers in the country, and I strongly urge you to take advantage of it.    You are required to visit the Writing Center and consult with someone on a draft of a paper at least once during the semester (as noted on the syllabus). But I highly recommend that you take advantage of the writing center for ALL drafts. For each time you attend the Center (beyond the required visit) you will receive extra credit. You must, however, document your consultation/s by having the center consultant sign and date your draft.

Participation

You must participate in class by actively involving yourself in class discussions and small group work. You are also expected to share your work with the rest of the class in workshop sessions and offer helpful critiques of your peers' papers, through verbal and written comments (see Guidelines for Peer Editing ).    Also, attendance, which is discussed in more detail below, is required – both physically and mentally. Because you are expected to take an active role in class discussions and workshops. I will presume that you will not stare out the window - if we have one (or into space), sleep during class, text message your buddies, pass notes, or listen to your iPod. Please make sure your phone is off or on buzz (and buried deep inside your backpack), so it's not heard while in class. Only if you are a parent, will I make an exception to this rule.   You must bring drafts of your work to class to share with your workshop group. If you do not bring a draft, your participation for that class will be 0%.

Attendance and Lateness

The English Department's policy on attendance states: “More than three absences in a class that meets twice a week . . . will affect your grade and can result in failure.” You are permitted three (3) absences. Upon the fourth absence, your final grade will be lowered one full letter grade; a fifth absence will result in automatic failure of this course.    Please also note: You can be charged with a half-absence if you miss more than 15 minutes of any one class session. In accordance with English Department policy (above), any student who violates this policy risks failing the class. I will also lower the final grade of anyone who I deem is consistently late, as it is VERY disruptive to the class.   Please if you are going to be absent. Also, be sure to pick up papers or assignments given in class before we meet the following week. To receive full credit for any of your assignments, they must be presented in hard copy at the beginning of class on the day they are due. If you will be missing a class, assignments can be accepted via e-mail, but they must be e-mailed to me by 8 a.m. on the day of the class that you are missing. Late responses will not be accepted and will thus lower your grade.

Academic Integrity

The work you turn in must be your own original writing. Any thoughts, ideas, or words taken from another author must be properly cited, or the paper will be considered plagiarism. Any student who uses the work of another writer, including other students, without giving credit to the source, will receive an automatic F for the course.

Grading Policy

Response Assignments (Total)	15%
Essay #1	10%
Essay #2	15%
Essay #3	15%
Essay #4	20%
Peer Reviews	10%
Class Participation	10%
Final Portfolios	5%
TOTAL:	100 %

A	96 - 100
A -	90 - 95
B +	87 - 89
B	83 - 86
B -	80 - 82
C +	77 - 79
C	73 - 76
C -	70 - 72
D	60 - 69
F	below 60