Finals Week Office Hours:

Monday ~ 8-10, 10:30-12

Tuesday ~ 11-2

W r i t i n g 1 2 1 – 0 4 E n g l i s h C o m p o s i t i o n

Spring 2010 1935170 RR209 MWF 10:15 A.M.-11:20 A.M. 4 Cr.

Ryan Davis, Clackamas Community College, English Department
Office: Rook 233

Office Hours: MWF 9-10 A.M. / T 10 A.M.-12 P.M. / Th 10-11:20 A.M.

Writing Center: Th 11:30 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Phone: 503.594.3258

Email: ryand@clackamas.edu

Class Website: http://www.portlandwt.com/schoolhome.htm

Blog: http://ryanmdavis.wordpress.com

COURSE DESCRIPTION

WR 121 focuses on "Methods of structure, content, and expository writing," but we’ll expand that. Our class will examine many factors in an attempt to explore the big picture and better find our place in it. We will read a variety of essays in an attempt to more clearly understand ourselves and those around us. This knowledge, information you uncover in your research, and visuals will be combined in four 3.5-page (text-equivalent) academic essays that will be guided by rhetorical principles and the overall writing process.

Our class will operate as a hybrid, but following a new model. We will break into two groups, Group A and Group B. All students will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays, but from weeks 2-9, depending on the week, each Group will attend class only four of eight Fridays. On the Fridays your Group does not attend class, you will have an online assignment to complete. The course schedule below clearly outlines your attendance requirements.

Recommended: Pass RD 090 or placement in RD 115. Prerequisite: Pass WR 095 or placement in WR 121. WR 121, WR 122, and WR 123 or WR 227 meet the writing sequence requirement for the AAOT degree.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

To pass WR 121, students must demonstrate ability to:

Exercise original thought in selecting and narrowing topics and choosing appropriate supporting material
Use various methods of development to explain and support a thesis in multi-paragraph essays
Cite sources appropriately using MLA format
Write grammatically correct and complete sentences
Arrange ideas in a logical way, maintaining unity and coherence in a well-developed essay
Read essays critically; analyze thesis, structure, patterns of development; respond to essays' content, purpose, and structure
Summarize the main ideas of various essays

REQUIRED TEXT & TECHNOLOGY

Kelly, Joseph, ed. The Seagull Reader: Essays. 2^nd ed. New York: Norton, 2008. Print.
You will also need four tools to pass this class, all of which can be found and used in the Streeter Hall Academic Computer Lab:
- a working computer to write your papers
- the Internet to view the course webpage and readings and conduct research (please check the course webpage regularly)
- a printer to print your papers
- an active email account with an appropriate user ID to communicate with me and receive announcements and supplemental information (please check your email regularly)

CLASS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Attendance

Any student with seven or more absences will automatically fail the course.
If absent, please obtain missed information from another student or the course website. I cannot summarize an entire class, so do not ask me what you missed.
If you are absent when a paper is due, you are still responsible for turning the work in on time. Workshops cannot be made up.
If you stop attending class and do not officially drop or withdraw, you will receive an "F" for the course. It is your responsibility to take care of your GPA and college record.

Work Submitted

All papers must be turned in to pass the class. If you do not turn in even one paper, you will fail the class.
All assignments written outside of class must be word processed, following all MLA guidelines.
Please save your assignments in Rich Text Format in Microsoft Word, so they can be recognized by most computers.
Please keep all assignments on your hard drive, a portable storage device, a CD-ROM, and in your email account. Printer issues and lost work are not excuses.
Please only turn in assignments only on their due dates, after we have completely covered their content and guidelines in class.
Forbidden Topics: Abortion, Sports, Cars, Marijuana, and Mission Trips.

Assignment Timeliness, Length, and Delivery

Late papers automatically earn a “D” (after class is dismissed on the due date, your work is late). There are no excuses for late work.
Short papers automatically earn a “C” (if I ask for 3.5 pages and you turn in 3.45 pages, you will receive a "C").
Late and short papers automatically earn an "F."
If you do not have a paper draft to workshop, you must still attend class to critique your group's papers, but you will receive no credit.
No emailed paper will be accepted unless I previously approve it.

Revision

Papers 1-3 earning an initial grade of "D" or "F" may each be revised once.
The revision must be turned in within one week of the initial paper's return, and must be accompanied by the initial paper containing my marks. No exceptions.
No late or short papers may be revised.
The revision must be substantial—do not simply "fix" the marked areas. You must rewrite the paper, starting from the foundation and moving up, using the same topic.

Effective Learning

Creating and maintaining a safe and civil environment depends on all of us, so please respect your classmates in class. If you do not, you will leave class.
Please be on time so that you do not disrupt class.
You may eat and drink in class, but please, nothing noisy or smelly.
All cell phones must be turned off. If you are texting during class, you will leave.
No visitors in class.
While I encourage discussion in class, if you disagree with any aspect of the course, consult with me before or after class or during my office hours. I have structured the course this way based on years of experience. I will not use class time for disagreements.

Assignments and Grading

Assignments
- Email address: By Friday of the first week, send me an email with your full name, class, and section in the subject line, so I can create a BCC mailing list with your contact information.
- Diagnostic Writing Sample: In the first week of class, you will write a brief essay I will use to gauge your initial writing skills.
- Conference: During Week 10, you will attend a conference to workshop Paper 4.
- Workshops: You will bring in one copy of each complete rough draft of Papers 1-3 and read and critique each others' papers in small groups.
- Papers: You will bring in polished final drafts of your papers to turn in for grades. These final drafts will incorporate suggestions offered by your groups and your own ideas for improvements.
Grading
- All work and final grades will be scored on the following scale: A 100-90 / B 89.99-80 / C 79.99-70 / D 69.99-60 / F 59.99 or below. I do not round grades up.
- The grade breakdown is as follows:
  - 1% Email address
  - 4% Diagnostic Writing Sample
  - 5% Paper 1 Workshop
  - 15% Paper 1
  - 5% Paper 2 Workshop
  - 15% Paper 2
  - 5% Paper 3 Workshop
  - 20% Paper 3
  - 5% Paper 4 Conference
  - 5% Paper 4 Workshop
  - 20% Paper 4

SCHEDULE (subject to change with sufficient notice)

(red = administrative / green = due dates / blue = links)

Group A

Colton

Mason

Robert

Buzz

Madison

David

Josh

Chris

Christina

Shawndez

Grayson

Molly

Miko

Joe

Group B

Nadine

Thomas

Bailey

Ryan F.

Raevyn

Brendan

Daryl

Ryan M.

Melissa

Jennifer

Autumn

Marlon

Scott

Albert

WEEK 1 All Students

3/29 Course Introduction

3/31 Diagnostic writing sample

4/2 Format & Process

4/4 Last day to add classes without instructor signature (Sunday, 5 p.m.)

WEEK 2 Group A meets Friday

4/5 Rite of Passage/Description/Narration/Research/MLA/Maya Angelou "Graduation" p. 22

4/7 Rite of Passage/Description/Narration/Research/MLA

4/9 Rite of Passage/Description/Narration/Research/MLA / Group B is online

Last day to add without $50 late registration fee for 11-week classes

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

Last day to drop full-term classes and receive a full refund

WEEK 3 Group B meets Friday

4/12 Rite of Passage/Description/Narration/Research/MLA

4/14 Rite of Passage/Description/Narration/Research/MLA/Maxine Hong Kingston "No Name Woman" p. 173

4/16 Paper 1 Workshop / Group A is online

WEEK 4 Group B meets Friday

4/19 Paper 1 due / Education/Example/Comparison and Contrast

4/21 Education/Example/Comparison and Contrast/MLA

4/23 Education/Example/Comparison and Contrast/MLA/William Zinsser "College Pressures"/ Group A is online

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

WEEK 5 Group A meets Friday

4/26 Education/Example/Comparison and Contrast/MLA/James Thurber "University Days"

4/28 Education/Example/Comparison and Contrast/MLA

4/30 Paper 2 Workshop / Group B is online

WEEK 6 Groups A & B meet online Friday

5/3 Paper 2 due / Environment/Process Analysis/Cause and Effect/MLA

5/5 Environment/Process Analysis/Cause and Effect/MLA

5/7 No Class!

1/3 payment plan amount due. $25 assessed if not paid

Last day to drop classes without responsibility for grade

Spring Term Petitions for Graduation due in the Registrar’s Office

Last day to make schedule changes for eleven week classes

WEEK 7

5/10 Environment/Process Analysis/Cause and Effect/MLA

5/12 Environment/Process Analysis/Cause and Effect/MLA

5/14 Environment/Process Analysis/Cause and Effect/MLA

WEEK 8 Group A meets Friday

5/17 Paper 3 Workshop

5/19 Paper 3 due / America/Cause and Effect/Definition/MLA

5/21 America/Cause and Effect/Definition/MLA / Group B is online

WEEK 9 Group B meets Friday

5/24 America/Cause and Effect/Definition/MLA

5/26 America/Cause and Effect/Definition/MLA

5/28 America/Cause and Effect/Definition/MLA / Group A is online

WEEK 10 Conferences

5/31 No Class—Memorial Day!

6/2 Paper 4 Workshop in Conferences

6/4 Paper 4 Workshop in Conferences

WEEK 11 Final

6/7 Paper 4 due at 10 A.M.

PLAGIARISM

According to the CCC Instructional Standards and Procedures, “A student who submits the work of another as her/his own or deliberately fails to properly credit words or ideas borrowed from another source is guilty of plagiarism.” You must adhere to the following guidelines, borrowed from Clark College, regarding plagiarism:

What you need not acknowledge:

1. Common knowledge. If most readers like yourself would likely know something, you need not cite it.

2. Facts available from a wide variety of sources. If a number of textbooks, encyclopedias, or almanacs include the information, you need not cite it.

3. Your own ideas and discoveries.

What you must acknowledge:

1. Any direct quotation. You must place the exact words quoted in quotation marks.

2. Paraphrases and summaries that provide background information, present facts not commonly known, and explain various positions on your topic.

3. Arguable assertions. If an author presents an assertion that may or may not be true, you must cite the source.

4. Statistics, charts, tables, and graphs from any source. You must credit all graphic material, even if you yourself create the graph.

Purchasing papers and submitting them is plagiarism. Asking another party to write a paper for you is cheating, and, in this case, will be considered plagiarism. Resubmitting or rewriting a paper from another course for a new grade without alerting me is plagiarism. If you are guilty of plagiarism, you will automatically fail the course.

Remember—if you have any questions regarding plagiarism—ask me.

SUPPORT SERVICES

Writing Center: McLoughlin 112, writing@clackamas.edu, 503.657.6958 ext. 5310
Advising and Counseling Department: Bill Brod Community Center, 503.657.6958 x2213
Disability Resource Center: Bill Brod Community Center 109, 503.657.6958 x2794
Dana Library: M-Th 7:30 A.M.-7 P.M. / F 7:30 A.M.-5 P.M., 503.657.6958 x 2288
- Your last name and either your CCC ID or library barcode number will act as your password for the following databases:
  - EBSCOHOST (Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, MEDLINE and many more indexes)
  - NewsBank (The Oregonian and The New York Times [2000-present])
  - ProQuest (The New York Times [Historical 1851-2002])
  - First Search (Article First and Worldcat databases)
  - CQ Researcher
  - Access Science
  - NetLibrary
  - Gale Virtual Reference Library

Updated: 28 May 2010