Writing It Like It Is
Academic Writing I for H&S WRTG 10800
(T/TR 4:00-5:15 FRND 103; W 10:00-10:50 SMID 109)
Essay writing is about transcribing the often convoluted process of thought, leaving your own brand of
breadcrumbs in the forest so that those who want to can find their way to your door.
Lauren Slater, introduction to Best American Essays 2006
Professor: Jaime Warburton
E-mail: jwarburton@ithaca.edu
Office: Smiddy 425
Office Phone: 274-3516
Office Hours: M 2:00- 4:00, W 11:00 – 1:00, and Writing Center Phone: 274-3315
TR 1:00 – 2:00 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
WC URL: http://rich65.com/ithaca/index.php
Required Texts
o A Writer’s Reference, 6th edition, by Diana Hacker ISBN-10: 0312450257
o Elements of Style illustrated edition by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White; illustrated by Maira
Kalman ISBN-10: 0143112724
Course Description
This introductory, freshman-level course teaches students how to read perceptively and write
coherently in college courses. Students learn to comprehend, critique, and respond to college
readings by writing analytical essays ranging from single-source papers to evaluations of the
claims and evidence in a number of readings. Typical assignments include single-source
critiques and multiple-source syntheses. The course emphasizes thoughtful and responsible use
of sources. It includes a fourth hour designed to guide students through the composing process
and help them edit their own writing more effectively for clarity, development, correctness, and
style.
We’ll be working not only on writing, but also on thinking and expressing our thoughts as we
encounter texts in different forms (the written word, discussions, life experience, films, music) and
discover connections, dissections, and opinions. As you craft those discoveries into essays, we’ll work
on clarity and correctness along with elements of voice and MLA citation that help make our work
appropriate and understandable to our chosen audiences. You will explore the navigation of sources and
teach each other about style.
Reading, planning, pre-writing, writing, revising, and editing are all important parts of written work.
Everything you hand in will have (at least) one rough draft!
Class Time
We will get your information from a variety of sources including news articles, pieces of popular
journalism, academic journals, government documents, and documentary films. In class, we'll spend
time discussing not only the content of these pieces, but the way they were written and the reasons their
authors made certain choices. What works? What doesn't? Can you use similar techniques? You'll also
be asked to evaluate our sources for bias and credibility, and at times you may do your own research.
Discussion is an important element of this class, so you must always have completed the reading and
come to class prepared with thoughtful comments. You may be asked to bring discussion questions and
lead portions of class, break up into small groups to complete exercises, or prepare short writing
assignments based on the reading.
Grammar and Style Days
Grammar and Style days are part of how we'll spend our Friday meetings. Early in the semester, you
will be divided into small groups. Each group, using your Writer's Reference and Elements of Style, will
pick two to three stylistic elements (for example, the passive voice, documentation, and the semicolon)
to teach the rest of the class. You will have free reign in the classroom and may prepare lectures,
interactive games or activities, short video clips, etc. One requirement, however, is that you present the
class with hardcopy handouts and exercises that we will complete together (you might, for example,
have rewards for the fastest correct completion).
You will be graded on how well and how accurately you impart the information to your peers, so you
should become experts before getting in front of the class! A good way to avoid getting an A or B is
reading copied information outloud without bothering to explain it or understand it yourself. While you
may feel free to include prepared lists of exercises that you find online, remember that you must cite
them – don't act as though you've made them up yourself, which would fall under our definition of
plagiarism. Again: it is a mistake to regurgitate information. If you cannot explain concepts without
crib sheets or cannot correctly answer the question of one of your peers when that question is in line
with your subject of expertise, you cannot receive a passing grade for the presentation.
Reading Journal
You are each expected to keep a double-entry reading journal throughout the semester. This journal
may be handwritten in a separate notebook or on sheets of looseleaf or typed in word documents; just
make sure that you don't lose it and can produce it as a whole. During (or after) reading, you should jot
down your reactions, anything you notice that the author is doing, questions you might have, notable
quotes, or particular points/discoveries. These journal entries will mean that you are well-prepared for
class discussion (as long as you remember to bring them with you!) and should also be helpful when
you begin to write your unit essays, providing an ample base of quotations and your opinions.
There will be periodic writing journal checks, but remember that these are for YOU, not because I need
bedtime reading. At finals, you will be graded on how effectively you used the reading journal, not
solely on number of entries. If you stay up until 4:00 AM the night before writing lots of entries in
different colored inks, you have not used the journal effectively – so you might as well get some sleep
or at least study for chemistry. Just write every time you read.
Grading Scale
Reading journals and short assignments will be graded on a three-point scale, but your formal essays
will received holistic letter grades. I do not inflate grades; completing the assignment equals a C, and
you earn upward or downward movement from there.
A= Excellent
B= Good
C= Acceptable
D= Struggling
F= Fails to meet guidelines/nonexistent/otherwise unacceptable
I do not accept late or emailed assignments without previous permission (meaning that late papers will
receive Fs). I never accept improperly formatted or underlength papers.
If you are having an untoward amount of difficulty completing an assignment, please email or visit me
before the due date to talk about it and work something out. Do NOT ask me for an extension the day
an essay is due (or at midnight the night before). That is called Trying to Worm Out of Being Late.
Should you happen to do something really stupid, like buy an essay off the Internet, you will be
dropped from the class without pity.
Final Grade Calculation
Each unit essay: 15%, for a total of 60%
Class and Workshop participation, G&S presentation: 15%
Other written work including short assignments and reading journal: 15%
Final Portfolio materials and revision: 10%
You will notice that your final grade in this class is based on the quality of both your writing and your
scholarship, so even if you are a Pulitzer-level essayist, do show up to class and do the reading. While
you are not graded on attendance as such, you must be present in order to participate – and you must do
more than convince yourself that I can't see you texting under your desks in order to receive full
participation marks.
Class Expectations
You are expected to attend class on time with your book(s), notebook, and writing utensil, having
completed the reading and any assignments, and ready for a thoughtful discussion. Remember that this
is a seminar, not a lecture, and that you have meaningful things to say. In class, you will not have a
more intimate relationship with your cell phone/Blackberry/pocket PC/Ipod than you do with our
material. I’m not above answering your phone for you if it rings in class.
In turn, I will be present for you in the classroom, my office, and via e-mail; I will let you know if class
is canceled; I will return your assignments as promptly as giving them well-deserved attention will
allow. I’ll turn off my phone, too.
Paper Expectations
While informal writing such as your journal entries or in-class assignments may be handwritten or
formatted at your discretion, all formal essays must be turned into me following proper MLA
formatting. The first page should have a double spaced header in the upper lefthand corner, a centered
title, and page numbers; you should type in 12-point, legible font, preferably Times New Roman or
Arial. Using large fonts like Courier does not exempt you from meeting the actual page requirement.
This sample page courtesy of the Purdue
OWL represents the first page of your
essays; the header should contain your
name, my name, the class name, and the
date the assignment is due; the title
should be centered but otherwise not
contain any special formatting such as
bold type; your last name should be
included by your page number; and the
entire page should be double spaced
(you will not skip any extra spaces
around your title, for example, nor will
you single-space the header).
Plagiarism
Here, for your reading pleasure, is the college’s plagiarism policy as found in the IC Policy Manual:
Whether intended or not, plagiarism is a serious offense against academic honesty. Under any circumstances, it is deceitful
to represent as one's own work, writing or ideas that belong to another person. Students should be aware of how this offense
is defined. Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of someone else's published or unpublished ideas, whether this use
consists of directly quoted material or paraphrased ideas.
Although various disciplines follow styles of documentation that differ in some details, all forms of documentation make the
following demands:
 That each quotation or paraphrase be acknowledged with a footnote or in-text citation;
 That direct quotations be enclosed in quotation marks and be absolutely faithful to the wording of the source;
 That paraphrased ideas be stated in language entirely different from the language of the source;
 That a sequence of ideas identical to that of a source be attributed to that source;
 That sources of reprinted charts or graphs be cited in the text;
 That all the sources the writer has drawn from in paraphrase or direct quotation or a combination of paraphrase
and quotation be listed at the end of the paper under "Bibliography," "References," or "Works Cited," whichever
heading the particular style of documentation requires.
A student is guilty of plagiarism if the student fails, intentionally or not, to follow any of these standard requirements of
documentation.
In a collaborative project, all students in a group may be held responsible for academic misconduct if they engage in
plagiarism or are aware of plagiarism by others in their group and fail to report it. Students who participate in a
collaborative project in which plagiarism has occurred will not be held accountable if they were not knowledgeable of the
plagiarism.
What, then, do students not have to document? They need not cite their own ideas, or references to their own experiences, or
information that falls in the category of uncontroversial common knowledge (what a person reasonably well-informed about
a subject might be expected to know). They should acknowledge anything else.
To sum it up, cite your stuff and don’t cheat. Handing in a paper that has been purchased online or from
another student, written by or with another student, or copied extensively from sources will result in
your automatic failure of the course. If you’re having trouble writing a paper, you’re much better off
coming to talk to me about it than handing in something you didn’t write.
Attendance
If you need to miss class, please notify me ahead of time. It is your responsibility to track down and
complete any work you may have missed. Check in with me or a trustworthy friend from class. While
you should always complete the work that has been scheduled on the syllabus, keep in mind that at any
time we may complete additional work during class or add pertinent assignments.
Excused absences include religious holidays, co-curricular activities like ROTC or sports games,
verifiable health emergencies, and court appearances. You may have three absences before your
attendance affects your grade. For any additional absences up to a total of 8, your final grade will be
dropped one half-letter (B to B-, B- to C+).
Missing nine classes warrants your removal from the course. If you do so on or before November 6th,
you will receive a W on your transcript. After November 6th, you will receive an F.
Writing Center
The Writing Center is staffed by trained faculty and peer tutors who are available, free of charge to you,
to assist you in any and all stages of the writing process. You can sign up for an appointment (by calling
274-3315 or dropping by Smiddy 107) if you need help generating ideas, outlining, coming up with a
first draft, or revising and editing for a final draft. Everyone should visit the Center at least once (not
necessarily for this class) over the semester; every reader needs a second eye, and Writing Center tutors
make great ones. The hours are M-F 9 AM - 5 PM and S-Tr 7 PM – 10 PM. Please ask for a
confirmation slip, which you will include as part of your final portfolio.
Writing Effectiveness:
One goal of this course is for you to be certified as Writing Effective. I will make that decision based
on your writing in this class. If you are deemed Writing Ineffective, then you will receive a grade no
higher than a C+ for your work in the course.
Students with Disabilities
"In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities
Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-bycase basis. Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services and provide
appropriate documentation to the College before any academic adjustment will be provided."
Schedule
Due dates for major essays appear in this schedule, as do dates for in-class workshops. You will be
assigned additional handouts and short writing assignments, along with detailed assignment sheets
prior to essay due dates. Please use this schedule as a guide for planning your workload, and
remember that it may be revised at any point during the semester to better suit our needs as a class. If
this is the case, you will receive the information in class or in the form of a supplementary handout.
R 8/27:
Opening Day. Syllabus, getting to know each other, short in-class writing. Read
“Academic Writing for College.” Bring in two questions.
T 9/1:
Writing for College/ parts of the academic essay/thesis/documentation. Discussion. How
to journal. Read Orwell (http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm and
Hughes http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25003291_ITM)
9/2:
How to use Styleguides; talk about grammar pres; library webpage. Homework: read
two chapters from Spurlock (faculty.ithaca.edu/jwarburton) and article packet
R 9/3:
Unit One – Food and Nutrition
Documentary: Supersize Me!
T 9/8:
Documentary overflow and material discussion. Homework: read two chapters from
Pollan (faculty.ithaca.edu/jwarburton)
W 9/9:
Bad Essay/Good Essay; source evaluation
R 9/10:
Discuss Pollan. Homework: Read Critser, Schlosser (faculty.ithaca.edu/jwarburton)
T 9/15:
Discussion; assignment sheets and rubric
W 9/16:
No class – pre-paper conferences
R 9/17:
Grammar and Style presentations (twofer!)
T 9/22:
No Class; Use time to write
W 9/23:
No Class (independent research)
R 9/24:
Rough draft due; paired workshops
T 9/29:
Food and Nutrition essays due
Unit Two – Money and Debt
Documentary: Maxed Out
Homework: article packet
W 9/30:
Documentary overflow; Grammar and Style
R 10/1:
Read “High Risk Health and Credit Behavior;” bring discussion questions
T 10/6:
Read “Our Cupboard Was Bare” and “’Top Chef’ Dreams Crushed…”
W 10/7:
Grammar and Style
R 10/8:
Discussion
T 10/13:
Rough draft due; workshops
W 10/14:
Source interaction/evaluation exercise
R 10/15:
No class – Spring Break
T 10/20:
Money and Debt essays due
Unit Three – Education
Documentary: Declining By Degrees
Read “Higher Education Gap…” and “Something New…”
W 10/21: Doc overflow
R 10/22:
Discussion
T 10/27:
Read “The Economics of Grade Inflation” and “Literacy Debate”
W 10/28:
Grammar and Style
R 10/29:
Read “Where the Race Now Begins…” and first chapter from Jonathon Kozol’s The
Shame of the Nation
T 11/3:
Discussion. Homework: second Kozol chapter.
W 11/4:
Research Lab
R11/5:
Final Discussion Day; thesis statements etc
T 11/10:
Rough draft due; workshops
W 11/11:
Grammar and Style
R 11/12:
Education essays due
Unit Four – Sex and Sexuality
Documentary: The Education of Shelby Knox
Read “Sex Education Found…”, “What is Abstinence-Only…”, “Research Shows…”,
“New York Just Says No”, “State Shuns Sex-Ed Grants”, “Teen Sex Study…”, and
“Most OK Birth Control in Schools.”
T 11/17:
Documentary overflow, discussion. Read “Must We Fear…”, “Outrage After Teen…”,
“The Mind Booty Problem”, Release Man…”, and “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Orgy.”
W 11/18:
Read “’Gray Rape’…”, “Rape Among Friends,” and “Lusting for Freedom.”
R 11/19:
Conferences
T 11/24:
No Class
W 11/25:
R 11/26:
No Class
No Class
T 12/1:
Discussion
W 12/2:
Rough draft due; workshops
R 12/3:
Work on revision
T 12/8:
Sex and Sexuality paper due
Final Portfolio workshops
W 12/9:
Personal Statements; Revision
R 12/10: Last Class Optional Conferences
Final Exam: Weds December 16, 4:30 PM