EN 320 - Responding to Writing
Fall, 2004
Time: Section 01: MWF 2:00-2:50 am
Classroom: CAS 119
Instructor: Dr Ildiko Melis
Office: Kenneth Shouldice Library, Room 235
Office hours: MTWRF 12:00-1:00 pm, or by appointment
Office phone: 635-6573
E-mail: imelis@lssu.edu
Course description: This course and the activities, readings, and discussions are aimed at
introducing students to the basic nuts and bolts of responding to writing as well as to some of the
controversial issues concerning the evaluation of student papers. A set of reading assignments will
invite students to reflect on the various practices and techniques of responding to writing that have
shaped professional discussion in the field of composition teaching over the past few decades.
Although the majority of readings address issues relevant to college composition classes, there will be
opportunity to explore application of the techniques and approaches covered in this class to elementary
teaching. In addition to reading and discussing a set of thought provoking texts, students will practice
responding to writing on a selective set of drafts, develop grading criteria for various assignments, and
form their own responding style. Assignments:
READING: Readings are assigned every week from Sharing and Responding [SR] and
the Course packet [CP].
-——
REFLECTIVE JOURNALS: Students will write a 1-3-page response to the readings, focusing
on a brief but concise summary of the most important concepts or arguments. The reflective part of
these journals will include personal experience, opinion, or questions related to the content of reading.
RESPONSE TO WRITING: To practice and develop good skills in responding to writing,
students will respond to various drafts distributed in class and receive feedback. The points earned on
these assignments will not depend on the quality of response unless work is missed or it does not show
sufficient effort. Students who complete all response exercises in class and their comments show effort
and learning will earn full credit (100 points) by the end of semester. Points will be taken off for
missing these assignments, or for obvious lack of effort.
RESPONSE PRESENTATION: Students will prepare a presentation of their best response to a
draft for class to demonstrate what was learned by the end of the course. Using a selected draft,
students will present to the class their response and explain what informed it from what was learned,
discussed or read in this class. This assignment will earn 100 points. Criteria for evaluation will be
discussed in more detail in class.
TERM PAPER: For a major final writing assignment, students will pick and explore a topic
covered in the syllabus. Research might involve interviews with practicing schoolteachers or finding
additional readings in the library or on the Internet. Topics will be recommended and will need to be
discussed with the professor for approval to make sure the project is doable within the given amount
of time. The credit points earned by this assignment will also include a short oral presentation of the
paper to the class [50 points out of the 250 earned].
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FINAL: Students will define a set of key terms covered in this course and respond to a short
draft. Finding and naming grammar errors will also be required.
Late work: Assignments are due on the week the coursework is covered, and late work will not be
accepted in this class unless timely arrangements had been made with the professor and exceptionally
extenuating circumstances justify deadline extension (for example, death in family, serious health
problems, etc.). It is very important to communicate with the professor in a timely manner because
even if the excuse for missing work or class is justified, students may not be able to cover the course
material and submit all work to get a passing grade.
Points may be taken off for late assignments, absence over three (3) class periods, and no
show on the day a presentation or paper was due unless reasonable arrangements were made by
phone or e-mail to extend deadlines.
The final term paper may lose 50 points for late submission at any stage of the writing process,
including plans, peer reviews, or presentation.
Incomplete: To get and incomplete in this course, students must have covered 60% of the
coursework and must ask for an incomplete.
Webct: Handouts and other course materials for this class will be accessible on-line. In case a class is
missed, it is the students' responsibility to get a copy of missed handouts from the professor, from
on-line, or from another student. Students may use webct e-mail and e-mail to ask questions, express
concern, or post homework in case of an excused absence. E-mailed assignments-must not be posted
later than on the day the assignment was due unless other arrangements have been made. All
attachment must be in Word compatible format.
Course materials:
Elbow, Peter and Pat Belanoff. Sharing and Responding. Third edition. Boston: McGrow Hill, 2000.
[SR]
Course packet for EN320. [CP]
Raimes, Ann. Keys for Writers: A Brief Handbook. Third edition. Boston: Houghton and Mifflin,
2002. recommended
Any standard college dictionary. (Recommended: Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary;
American Heritage Dictionary; Random House College Dictionary)
Loose leaf lined paper, floppy disk to save your work on, folders to file your assignments
Format: All writing for this class as homework must be typed double spaced, using 12-size, Times
New Roman font, with a 1 -inch margin all around the document. Students must include their name, the
course, and the section number in a header. If the print goes over one page, page numbers need to be
inserted in a center bottom position.
When responding to reading, students must include the full publication information of the item
as it is listed in the course packet in MLA-style citation format. To avoid plagiarism, various
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techniques of quoting, paraphrasing and summarizing need to be applied. If requested, we can go over
these techniques in class; otherwise, it is assumed that students can use Keys for Writers as a reference.
Academic honesty: Students are expected to present their own work and their best effort. Sources of
information, printed, electronic, or verbal need to be identified in drafts. Presenting others' words or
ideas as your own is academic dishonesty and has severe consequences. When in doubt, ask your
professor.
Disabilities Accommodation: In compliance with Lake Superior State University policy and equal
access laws, disability-related accommodation or services are available. Students who want to access
such services are to meet with the professor in a timely manner, preferably the first week of the class,
to discuss their disability-related needs. Students with disabilities will not receive services until they
register with the Resource Center for Students with Disabilities (RCSD). Proper registration will
enable the RCSD to verify the disability and determine reasonable academic accommodations. RCSD
is located in the Library 101. The telephone number is (906) 635-2454.
Grades and assignments:
Reflective journals:
350 points
Response to writing:
100 points
Response to writing— presentation:
100 points
Term paper and presentation:
250 points
Final______________________200 points
Total:
1000 points
Class grade: A=l 000-900; B=899-800; C=799-700; D=699-600; F=599-
Readings for EN320 Section 01
2004 Fall, Dr Melis
Bartholomae, David. "The Study of Error." College Composition and Communication 31
(October 1980):253-69. Bloom, Lynn Z. "Why I (Used to) Hate to Give Grades."
College Composition and
Communication 48.3 (October 1997):360-71. Connors, Robert J. and Andrea A.
Lunsford. "Teachers' Rhetorical Comments on Student
Papers." College Composition and Communication 44.2 (May 1993):200-25. Elbow,
Peter. "Ranking, Evaluating, and Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgment."
College English 55.2 (Feb, 1993): 187-206. Haswell, Richard. "Grades, Time, and the Curse
of Course." Review. College Composition and
Communication 51.2 (December 1999):284-95. - - -.
"Minimal Marking." College English 45.6 (1983): 166-70.
http://www.english.vt.edu/~grammar/GrammarForTeachers/readings/haswell.html
Date of access: August 4, 2003. Hairston, Maxine. "Not All Errors Are Created
Equal: Nonacademic Readers in the
Professions Respond to Lapses in Usage." 43.8 (December 1981):794-806. Horvath,
Brooke K. "The Components of Written Response: A Practical Synthesis of
Current Views." Rhetoric Review 2 (January 1984): 136-56. Murdick, William.
"What English Teachers Need to Know About Grammar." English
Journal (November 1996).
http://www.english.vt.edu/~grammar/GrammarForTeachers/readings/murdick.html Date of access: August 4,
2003. n.a. "Constructing an Appropriate Reader Response Role."
http://www.wiu.edu/users/mfwc/wiu/siruatedresponse.html Date of access: June 21,
2004.
Randsell, D.R. "Directive versus Facilitative Commentary." Teaching of English in Two-year
Colleges (March 1999):269-75. Smith, Summer. "The Genre of the End Comment: Conventions
in Teacher Responses to
Student Writing." College Composition and Communication 48.2 (May 1997):249-83.
Straub, Richard. "The Concept of Control in Teacher Response: Defining the Varieties of
'Directive' and 'Facilitative' Commentary."Coliege Composition and Communication 47.2 (1996):
223-51.
LSSU,
Fall, 2004
EN320,
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DrMelis
(Minor changes or
semester)
Weekly Schedule
modifications of deadlines might be announced in class during the
Topic
Reading assignment
WEEK ONE
Course Introduction Cover letter
Journal 1 (20)
Aug30M/Sept 1W, 3F Syllabus First things Procedures for Giving
first: navigation map and Receiving
for sharing and
Responses
responding as a peer [SRpp.3-16]
WEEK TWO (Labor Lesson 1 : "Talk to me /. Sharing: No
Journal 2 (20)
Day no class on 6M and as readers do"
response or Response Response 1 (10)
7T) Sept 8 W, 10F,
from the Self[SR pp.
17-21]
WEEK THREE
Septl3M,15W,17F
Lesson 2: Focus on
what is in the draft
WEEK FOUR Sept
20M,22W, 24F
Lesson 3: Focus on
4. What is Almost Said? Journal 4 (25)
what is not in the draft What do you Want to Response 4 (10)
Hear More About? 5.
Reply [SR pp.24-28]
WEEK FIVE Sept
27M, 29W, Oct IF
Lesson 4: Some useful 6. Voice 7. Movies of the Journal 5 (25) Response
analogies: voice,
Reader 's Mind 8.
5,6 (10, 10)
movies, and metaphors Metaphorical
Descriptions [SR
pp.28-36]
WEEK SIX Oct 4M,
6W, 8F
Lesson 5: Challenging 9. Believing and
Journal 6 (25) Response
a writer, tearing a text Doubting 10. Skeleton 7,8 (10, 10)
apart ?
Feedback and
Descriptive Outline
[SRpp.37-45]
WEEK SEVEN
OctllM, 13W,15F
Lesson 6: Now we are //. Criterion-Based
Journal 7 (25) Response
talking about grading? Feedback Final Word 9,10 (10,10)
[SR pp. 43-48]
2. Pointing and Center Journal 3 (20)
of Gravity 3. Summary Response 2,3 (10,10)
and Sayback [SR
pp.22-24]
LSSU, Fall, 2004 EN320, Sections 1 Dr Melis
WEEK EIGHT
Octl8M,20W, 22F
What are we doing
Elbow [CP] Smith [CP] In-class writing
when we are
Journal 8 (30)
responding to writing?
WEEK NINE Oct
25M, 27W, 29F
The genre of response Horvath [CP] Randsell Journal 9 (30)
[CP]
WEEK TEN Nov 1M, The rhetoric of
response
3W, 5F
Connor s-Lunsf or d [CP] Journal 10 (30)
Straub [CP]
WEEK ELEVEN
NovSM, 10W,12F
Bartholomae [CP]
Journal 1 1 (40)
Murdick [CP] Hairston
[CP]
Bloom [CP] Haswell Journal 12 (30) Term
paper topic approved:
[CP]
November 19
The terror of error
WEEK TWELVE Nov The curse of grading
15M, 17W, 19F
WEEK THIRTEEN
Thanksgiving recess
Nov 24-28 Nov 23M
Criteria and rubrics
WEEK FOURTEEN
Nov29M,DeclW,
3F
Response and paper
presentations
WEEK FIFTEEN Dec
6M, 8W, 10F
WEEK SIXTEEN
(Finals week)
Response and paper
presentations
Final place and time
TBA
Constructing and
Appropriate Reader
Response Role [CP]
Journal 13 (30)
First draft of final
term paper is due for
peer response:
November 29