The Curious Writer An Introduction to Writing & Research

You should expect to do some reading and writing in preparation for every time we meet, and it is crucial that you participate and keep up with all assignments.. Course Goals: • To deve

The Curious Writer : An Introduction to Writing & Research

ENGLISH 106: FIRST - YEAR COMPOSITION

S PRING 2006

Instructor: Jessica Mehr Office: HEAV 412

Section: 106-1701 Office

Hours:

Classrooms: WTHR 214 (Monday)

HEAV 104 (Tuesday, Thursday) HEAV 223 (Conferencing)

Phone:

Email: 908-337-1306jmehr@purdue.edu

Web

Site:

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jmehr/106/

spring2006_home.htm

Course Description:

Above all, this semester is about become a better writer At the University of Virginia, it took me years

to realize that the difference between my A and B papers was not the sophistication of my ideas or the eloquence of my prose, but a lack of proper planning and drafting In contrast, I’d like you to discover this lesson by the end of the Spring semester We will focus a great deal on the stages of completing

an assignment: invention, research, planning, drafting, and revising The goal of this is not for you to

adopt my writing process, but to adapt these stages into the process that works best for you

Understand that improving and gaining confidence in your writing ability will require time and sustained

effort You should expect to do some reading and writing in preparation for every time we meet, and it

is crucial that you participate and keep up with all assignments You can think of this course as an

opportunity to develop or refine your written communication skills, where you think about how to write

differently for particular audiences But you can also think of this course as knowledge making, not just

knowledge reporting Rather than simply being passive recipients of knowledge, inquiry-based learning requires you to ask questions rather than settle for easy answers

Course Goals:

• To develop effective and efficient processes for your own writing

• To read critically and write reflectively

• To plan, draft, revise, and shape your writing for multiple needs and audiences

• To develop your ideas fully, support them strongly, and organize them effectively

• To access, evaluate, and use information from a variety of sources

• To create, interpret, and evaluate a variety of types of texts integrating verbal and visual components

• To demonstrate coherent structure, effective style, and grammatical correctness

Required Texts:

• The Curious Writer by Bruce Ballenger, 2005 (University Bookstore across from PMU)

PMU)

• Course Packet (Copy Mat, Chauncey Village)

Course Calendar:

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~jmehr/106/spring2006_calendar.htm

I have attached a tentative overview of the semester Reading and homework are subject

to change, so it is imperative that you check the online course calendar weekly in order to

be prepared for class

Purdue Writing Lab: (located in HEAV 226) or at http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Whether you are planning the project or editing the final draft, The Writing Lab’s tutors can offer you one-on-one feedback (by appointment) I count each visit to the Writing Lab as extra credit

Course Policies:

Promptness and Attendance

I offer you four (4) absences without penalty, but it is your responsibility to find out what

was missed and turn in all assignments on the day that they are due Only one of those

absences may be a conference; peer reviews or presentations may not be missed Each

additional absence will lower your final grade by 10% I do not distinguish between

“excused” and “unexcused” absences, so I suggest you use these absences wisely and

save them for real illnesses or emergencies Please be on time to class Three “lates”

count as an absence

Participation and Conduct

Participation means arriving to class on time and fully prepared, and being attentive and engaged while in class I give daily grades on participation To be fully prepared, bring all texts to class every day and have all homework and readings completed Checking e-mail, text messaging, chatting, Web surfing, falling asleep, doing homework for another class,

reading The Exponent, or being otherwise disengaged or disruptive not only represents the

height of rudeness but also will lower your grade

If your cell phone rings or you are caught text messaging, you will be asked to leave and receive an absence for the day

Late Assignments

Assignments must be submitted at the beginning of class on the day that they are due I

do not accept late work If you anticipate a problem completing assignment, you must

contact me at least 24 hours ahead of time to discuss a possible extension You are

permitted 1 extension for the semester Computer mishaps are not an excuse for

being unprepared I suggest you keep copies of all your assignments stored in your

Purdue career account and backed up on other media (such as a flash drives or CD-ROM)

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism means representing someone else’s work as your own Doing so “accidentally”

is no different than doing so deliberately As you get into more advanced writing, it

becomes important that you read, take notes on, and incorporate sources productively and fairly We will spend some class time discussing ways to avoid plagiarism, but please note

that violations of academic honesty can and will result in automatic failure of the course

Always ask me if you are unsure about how to use a source fairly

Conferencing

The format of this course requires that you meet with me every other week to discuss work individually

or in small groups I’ve broken you up into Groups A1, B1, A2, B2, and have indicated on the Course Calendar which days you should be there If you miss more than 1 conference, your final grade will be lower 10% for each additional absence Please come to meeting prepared, with a copy of the current assignment and any comments or questions you might have about the course

Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

Sweat the small stuff! Despite what you may have been taught, “little” mistakes impact your paper in a big way Failing to proofread or glaring spelling errors diminish your credibility as a writer and can affect your final grade If you are unsure about a grammar concept, look it up in your Penguin Handbook It was $50 after all Use it! I will not edit, proofread, or “correct” all errors in your papers but I will note certain patterns of grammatical error and give you guidance in seeking them out

My Comments / Revisions

You should always feel free to meet with me if an assignment is unclear, if you get stuck, or if my first response on an assignment is unhelpful Most of my comments will be on your rough drafts and

geared towards revision You will be required to turn in two formal revisions during the semester; however, you may revise any assignment for a higher grade I believe in rewarding effort, and often give extra credit to students who visibly work hard on their drafts If you’ve done extra prewriting, outlining, or revising, include those notes with your final draft so I can see what you’ve done

Instructor’s Absence

In the unlikely event that I am unable to attend a class, I will do everything I can to contact you beforehand If I am more than 10 minutes late you are permitted to leave

Being Your Own Advocate

Students with disabilities must be registered with Adaptive Programs (494-1247) If you are eligible for academic accommodations because you have a documented disability that will impact your work in class, please schedule an appointment with me as soon as

possible to discuss your needs

Assignments

By the end of the semester, you will have completed 35-40 pages of polished writing and

created an online Portfolio to showcase your work These assignments should be typed with your name, date, and word count in the upper left hand corner

Grade Breakdown:

• Participation & Homework 15%

• Critical Analysis Paper* 15%

• Annotated Bibliography 10%

• Short Assignments (SRA’s) 15%

• Final Research Essay: 25%

• Digital Portfolio 10%

Grading:

All of your assignments will have specific grading criteria; however, these are the basic differences between letter grades:

70-79 (C): Average You did what the assignment asked of you Work in this range usually needs

revision, but it is complete in content and organization and is logical The style, verbal and visual,

is straightforward but unremarkable

80-89 (B): Very Good You did what the assignment asked of you with high quality Work needs a

little revision, is complete in content, organized well, and shows special attention to style and visual design

90-100 (A): Superior You did what the assignment asked for at a high quality level, and your

work shows originality and creativity Show all the qualities listed above for a B; but it also

demonstrates that the author took extra steps in developing content, style, and clarity Needs little

to no revision

60-69 (D): Poor Barely fulfills the assignment and needs major revision The content is

incomplete

and the organization is hard to discern Verbal and visual style is non-existent or chaotic

Below 60 (F): Don’t go there! This is usually reserved for people who don’t show up or turn in

the assignment, or turn in papers that glaringly lacking in length or criteria fulfillment

The Curious Reader: Analyzing Texts

01-09-06

WTHR 214

Introduction to Course:

Writing as Process

01-10-06

HEAV 104 Reading as Process

First Day Writing Due

Curious Writer (CW) pp 3-15, 20-27, 49-53

01-11-06

HEAV 223

Group A1

01-12-06

HEAV 104 Everything is an Argument

Penguin pp 5-13, CW 283-295

Homework: “Inquiring Into The Essay” p 295,

Questions 2-3

01-13-06

HEAV 223

Group B1

01-16-06

WTHR 214 No classes

01-17-06

HEAV 104

Everything is a Text: Rhetorical Situation

of Songs

Penguin pp 71-85

Homework: Online Grammar Exercises

01-18-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

01-19-06

HEAV 104

Audience, Purpose, and Language in Writing Assignments

Penguin pp 398-404 “Find the Right Words”

SRA #1 Due (Rhetorical Analysis)

01-20-06 Group B2

HEAV 223

The Curious Self: Writing a Memoir

01-23-06

WTHR 214

Images and Visual Rhetoric CW pp 58-63

Homework: Exercise 2.5 on p 60

01-24-06

HEAV 104

Memoirs: Form & Purpose CW 95-112, CW 122-129

01-25-06

HEAV 223

Group A1

01-26-06

HEAV 104

Memoirs: Generating Ideas SRA #2 Due (Photoshop Exploration)

01-27-06

HEAV 223

Group B1

01-30-06

WTHR 214

Memoirs: Embedded Language & Thick Description (Freewriting)

Penguin 379-386, “Write With Power”

Memoir Topic Due

01-31-06

HEAV 104

Memoirs: Prewriting and Drafting CW 136-137, Read “You Start to Live” by Tom

Perrotta (Course Packet)

02-01-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

02-02-06

HEAV 104

Peer Review of Memoir “Sketches” Sketch of Memoir Due (2 Copies)

02-03-06

HEAV 223

Group B2

The Curious Critic: Analyzing Literature and Movies

02-06-06

WTHR 214

Writing About Literature Memoir Due (5 pages) with Self Portrait

Read “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin (Course Packet)

02-07-06

HEAV 104

Writing About Literature CW 329-333, 343-353

Homework: Inquiring into Story p 351, #’s 2-4

02-08-06

HEAV 223

Group A1

02-09-06

HEAV 104

Writing About Literature Read “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway and

“Elements of Fiction” pp 1-10 (Course Packet)

HEAV 223

Group B1

02-13-06

WTHR 214

Penguin Workshop: Avoiding Plagiarism

Incorporating Quotes Meaningfully

Penguin 227-235

02-14-06

HEAV 104

Critical Essays SRA #3 Due (Responding to Your Short Story)

CW 366-374

02-15-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

02-16-06

HEAV 104

Planning Your Critical Essay CW 333-341, 376-386

02-17-06

HEAV 223

Group B2

02-20-06

WTHR 214

Penguin Workshop: Paragraphing Introductions & Conclusions

Penguin 43-45, 53-60

Homework: Online Grammar Exercises

02-21-06

HEAV 104

Critical Essay Peer Review First Draft of Critical Essay Due (2 copies)

02-22-06

HEAV 223

Group A1

02-23-06

HEAV 104

Revising Workshop CW 617-621, 631-634, 650-656

02-24-06

HEAV 223

Group B1

02-27-06

WTHR 214

Evaluating Sources & Finding Full Text Articles

Penguin 186-198 (Finding Print Sources)

SRA #4 Due (Evaluating Sources)

02-28-06

HEAV 104

Movie: Writing a Review CW pp 196-202

03-01-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

03-02-06

HEAV 104

Movie Final Draft of Critical Essay Due (5 pages)

03-03-06

HEAV 223

Group B2

Week 9 Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due

03-06-06

WTHR 214

Movie

03-07-06

HEAV 104

Movie Discussion and Intro to Final Research Paper

SRA #5 Due (Movie Commentary)

03-08-06

HEAV 223

No Conferencing

03-09-06

HEAV 104

Final Paper Topic Due

03-10-06

HEAV 223

No Conferencing

The Curious Researcher: Writing An Annotated Bibliography

03-20-06

WTHR 214

Finding Sources for the “Big” Paper Selected reading from CW Chapter 12

Homework: Double entry journal response your

movie with reflective summary

03-21-06

HEAV 104

Writing an Annotated Bibliography CW Appendix C, CW 549-560

03-22-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

03-23-06

HEAV 104

Writing an Annotated Bibliography:

Voice & Authority

SRA # 6 Due (Writing an Analytical Summary)

03-24-06

HEAV 223

Group B2

03-27-06

WTHR 214

Writing a Research Essay Selected reading from CW Chapter 11

Research Proposal (1 page) and

7 Sources Due

03-28-06

HEAV 104

Writing a Research Essay Selected reading from CW Chapter 11

03-29-06

HEAV 223

Group A1

03-30-06

HEAV 104

Writing A Research Essay Annotated Bibliography Due (5-7 pages)

HEAV 223

Group B1

The Curious Writer: The "Big" Paper

04-03-06

WTHR 214

Thesis Statements Homework: Prewrite for Research Essay

04-04-06

HEAV 104

Outlining Your Research Essay Thesis Statement Due

04-05-06

HEAV 223

Group A2

04-06-06

HEAV 104

Drafting Your Research Essay Revised Thesis Statement & Outline Due

04-07-06

HEAV 223 Group B2

04-10-06

WTHR 214

“Big” Paper Drafting Time

04-11-06

HEAV 104

Peer Review Rough Draft “Big” Paper Due (At least 7 pages)

04-12-06

HEAV 223

Conferencing by appointment

04-13-06

HEAV 104

Coming Up With A Revision Plan Peer Review Due

04-14-06

HEAV 223

Conferencing by appointment

04-17-06

WTHR 214

Digital Portfolios Revision Plan Due

04-18-06

TBA

Digital Portfolios

04-19-06

HEAV 223

Conferencing by appointment

04-20-06

TBA

"Big" Paper Revision Time or Catch-up Day

04-21-06

HEAV 223 Conferencing by appointment

Week 16 Lecture Topics Readings/Assignments Due

04-24-06

WTHR 214

Digital Portfolios "Big" Paper Final Draft Due (9-10 pages)

04-25-06

TBA

Digital Portfolios

04-26-06

HEAV 223

No Conferencing

04-27-06

TBA

Digital Portfolios

04-28-06

HEAV 223 No Conferencing

Digital Portfolio Due Monday, May 1, 2006 on CDROM

or link via email