Syllabus
UWP 101: Advanced Composition
Fall Quarter 2014/CRN 62201
Instructor: Miles Miniaci
Office: Voorhies 231-B
Office Hours: Tuesday 1:30 – 3 pm; Thursday 10:30 am – 12 pm
Email: mbminiaci@ucdavis.edu
Course Description:
Welcome to UWP 101, Advanced Composition. This course focuses on advanced
principles of expository writing both within and beyond the academy. Assignments
provide practice in a variety of modes of writing and will emphasize writing as a process
that involves substantive revision. UWP policy requires 6000 words of original work for
each course, so you should plan to spend a significant amount of time on outside work
for this class (homework, reading, writing papers). Students must earn a C- or higher in
order to meet the Upper-Division Writing Requirement. GE credit: Wrt (cannot be used
to satisfy a college or university composition requirement and GE writing experience
simultaneously). Prerequisite: course 1 or English 3 or the equivalent and upper division
standing.
Course Goals:
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To improve students' analytical skills in reading and writing; to explore through
readings and writing assignments issues and problems both common to different
disciplines and professions
To help students understand the rhetorical context of all writing, both academic and
professional; to provide instruction in writing for different audiences and purposes
To give students an opportunity to explore a variety of non-fiction writing forms
including narrative, analysis, explanation, argument, and critique
To adapt academic writing skills and modes of expression to the kinds of writing
tasks that different professions and careers demand
To explore ways in which in a variety of different research strategies (including, for
example, literature reviews, observations, and interviews) can inform academic,
literary, and professional non-fiction writing
To help students develop a clear, lively, and forceful prose style, and to adapt that
style to different writing situations and audiences
To encourage students to develop appropriate and consistent strategies for
organizing and developing written assignments
To provide students with principles of and experience in revising their own work and
providing feedback to other student writers for content, clarity, and style
Required Texts and Materials:
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Binder Paper (no spiral-bound paper, please!)
Access to and ability to use Smartsite and a printer
Required Readings will be posted weekly on SmartSite; it is the student’s
responsibility to access, download, and if necessary, print these documents.
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Attendance/Tardies:
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You may miss up to two classes for any reason, no excuse or explanation
necessary; however, these two “free” absences may not be on in-class writing days
or peer review days. It is wisest to save those “free” absences for dates when you
might actually be sick.
If you miss 3-4 classes and/or are absent on a peer review day, your grade will drop
by points (%) for each day.
If you arrive after I take role or leave early, you will be considered tardy. Three
tardies will constitute one absence and may impact your final grade according to the
policies for attendance listed above.
If you miss more than 20 minutes of class, you will be marked absent for the day.
Graded Assignments:
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Reflective Essay
Consumer Review
General Interest Article
Analytical Essay
Scholarly Article
Timed Writing Final
Participation
50
50
50
100
150
50
50
500
*All formal assignments must be submitted to earn a passing grade in the course. With
the exception of Participation and the Reading Responses, all assignments listed above
are “formal” assignments.
Late Papers & Makeups:
Late/incomplete submissions will lower your final grade on that assignment by 10% for
each 24-hour period they are late (this includes weekends).
Additional Grading Policies:
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Standards for evaluating writing: The rubric will always be useful in understanding
the criteria used to evaluate your writing. Grades are not curved and your work is
graded according to UWP standards (a copy of which you can find here:
http://writing.ucdavis.edu/instructor-resources/grading-standards-1/). However, it
may also be useful for you to understand the following distinctions:
o A: Outstanding work that excels at responding to the assignment. In addition to
meeting all of the requirements of the assignment, it demonstrates originality and
sophistication. A papers are stylistically accomplished, carefully edited and free
of grammatical and mechanical errors.
o B: Solid work that meets all of the requirements of the assignment at a high
level. While the paper still needs revision, it presents complete, appropriate
content, is well-organized and demonstrates a clear attention to stylistic issues.
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o C: Adequate work that meets the basic requirements of the assignment. The
paper may have some organizational lapses, but is logical overall. The style is
straightforward with a few lapses, but may be repetitive or unremarkable.
o D: Unsatisfactory work that requires significant revision. Often, D papers lack
clear organization, require further development of content, and/or have
mechanical and stylistic errors that impede the reader’s understanding.
o F: Inadequate work that does not respond to the needs of the assignment. May
be off-topic or incomplete.
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Class Participation Grading Criteria:
o 90-100 points: A student earning points in this range does the following: Speaks
frequently in class without dominating the discussion: Talks about concepts in the
text or lecture; Goes beyond the obvious; Struggles with new ideas; Takes risks;
Gives examples; Asks questions; Shares personal experience and explains how
it relates to class content; Demonstrates an open mind; Expresses an interest in
other students’ points of view; Takes leadership role in group activities;
Encourages others to participate.
o 80-89 points: A student earning points in this range does the following: Speaks
regularly in class without dominating discussion; Gives examples; Asks
questions; Shares personal experience; Demonstrates an open mind; Listens to
others; Participates actively in group activities.
o 70-79 points: A student earning points in this range does the following: Speaks
occasionally in class; Listens to others; Demonstrates a real interest in the
subject matter; Participates somewhat in group activities; OR dominates
discussion without sensitivity to other students’ need to participate.
o 60-69 points: A student earning points in this range does the following: Rarely
speaks in class; Participates minimally in group activities; Shows little interest in
class; Is sometimes uninvolved in class; Is occasionally not present to participate
in class activities.
o 59 points and below: A student earning points in this range does the following:
Almost never speaks in class and doesn’t listen to others; Is frequently not
present for class discussions and activities; Does not participate in assigned
group activities; Is off-task at times; OR demonstrates hostility, put-downs,
ethnocentrism, racism, sexism toward other students and/or instructor.
Other Policies:
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Cell phones must be in the silent or vibrate position during class and put away
except during breaks. Students will have access to lab computers, so no personal
electronics should be necessary.
Rude, hostile, or inappropriate behavior towards your instructor or your classmates
can lead to a referral to Student Judicial Affairs. SJA also considers sleeping in
class to be disruptive.
All written work must be original for this class.
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Plagiarism is using the work of others as if it was your own. It is a serious offense
with serious consequences. For more information, please see the UWP’s Plagiarism
Guidelines document: http://writing.ucdavis.edu/instructor-resources/plagiarismguidelines. Suspected instances of plagiarism will be reported promptly to SJA.
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Incompletes, by university policy, are only allowed in cases of documented true
emergencies, such as a serious illness or death in the family. If such an emergency
arises, please discuss it with me immediately. UWP policy requires that all
instructors must obtain permission from a supervisor (the UWP Director or Associate
Director) before assigning an “I” grade.
Getting Assistance:
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Tutoring:
Additional tutoring support is also available in the Student Academic Success Center
(2205 Dutton Hall, 752-2015, http://sasc.ucdavis.edu). The SASC offers free
workshops and one-to-one tutoring. It also employs ESL specialists.
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Students with Disabilities:
Students with disabilities are encouraged to utilize the on-campus resources for
them: http://sdc.ucdavis.edu/. If you need any special accommodations to complete
this course successfully, please provide me with the information and documentation
as soon as possible.
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Other Resources:
One key to your success in this and all of your classes is knowing what resources
are available to help you succeed. As the instructor for this course, I am here to
help you. If you have concerns about your progress in this class, please discuss
them with me immediately—do not wait until it is too late to do anything. Please take
advantage of my office hours, make an appointment with me, or email me if you
have questions or need assistance. However, please respect the following
boundaries: a) I do not respond to emails after 5 pm; and b) I do not appreciate more
than one email per day pertaining to the same issue. I will respond within 24 hours.
o Your peers are an important resource upon which you should always draw, and
they should be your first point of contact when you expect to miss or have missed
a class or when you have questions about due dates, etc. I do not re-teach or
pre-teach class, so developing a relationship with your classmates is crucial in
order to catch up with anything you may have missed. If you are, or intend to be,
absent, contact the following people to discuss what you missed or just for moral
support. Remember, it is always useful to build a support network of scholars
around you.
__________________________________________________________________________
___
Name
Reliable contact information
__________________________________________________________________________
___
Name
Reliable contact information
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Course Calendar
Please ensure that you update this calendar when any changes are announced in
class.
Week
Tuesday
Thursday
2
- Community Building Activity
- Discuss Course Goals / Review Syllabus
- Lefebvre Reading
Oct 2
HW: Diagnostic Writing
Week 1
7
- Video Montage
- Reciprocal Reading: Arnold, Adorno,
de Lizaur
- Quick Write / Peer Review
Oct 6 –
Sep 10
9
- Reciprocal Reading: Hornby & Bangs
- Discuss Model / Review Reflective
Reading Guidelines
- HW: Reflective Essay 1st Draft
- HW: Barthes Reading
Week 2
14
Oct 13 –
Oct 17
Week 3
16
- Reflective Essays Due
- Review Common Errors
- Create Feedback Scripts / Peer Review
- Return Reflective Essays / Group Feedback
- Find & Discuss Online Reviews
- Ebert, Christgau, & IGN Readings
- Discipline-Specific Analogue
- Reflective Essay Revision
21
23
Oct 20 –
Oct 24
- HW: Consumer Review 1st Draft
Week 4
Oct 27 –
Oct 31
- Consumer Review Due
- Review Common Errors
- Create Feedback Scripts / Peer Review
- Revised Reflective Essay Due
- Rowntree Reading
- Review Consumer Review Guidelines
28
- Return Consumer Reviews
- Find / Share General Interest Articles
- Klosterman Reading
- Review General Interest Article Guidelines
- HW: Discipline-Specific Analogue
- Optional: Find General Interest Print Articles
30
- HW: Consumer Review & General
Interest Article Revisions
- HW: General Interest Article 1st Draft
Week 5
Nov 3 –
Nov 7
4
- Revised Consumer Review &
General Interest Article Due
- Reciprocal Reading: Chandler, Hall, Kuyper
- Paracinema Reading
6
- Review Analytical Components
- In-Class Brainstorming / Outlining, etc.
- HW: Analytical Essay 1st Draft
HW: Choose Analytical Essay Topic w/ Notes
Week 6
11
Nov 10 –
Nov 14
NO CLASS
- General Interest Article Due
- Create Feedback Scripts / Peer Review
-Rosenberg Reading
13
- Analytical Essays Due
- Create Feedback Scripts / Peer Review
- HW: Discipline-Specific Analogue
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Week
Week 7
Tuesday
18
- Return Analytical Essays
- Reciprocal Reading: Bormann, et al
- Large Group Discussion
- Review Scholarly Analytical Approaches
- Discuss / Approve Scholarly Article Topics
- Begin / Continue Brainstorming & Outlining
- Choose Scholarly Article Topic w/ Notes
HW: Slayage Reading
Nov 17 –
Nov 21
Week 8
Thursday
20
25
27
NO CLASS
- Revised Analytical Essay Due
- Review Scholarly Article Guidelines
- In-Class Research / Outlining
Nov 24 –
Nov 28
HW: Scholarly Article (Intro/Analysis) 1st Draft
Week 9
Dec 1 –
Dec 5
Week 10
2
- Scholarly Article Part 1 Due
- Create Feedback Scripts / Peer Review
- Quick Write: Revision Plan
- Scholarly Article Part 2 Due
- In-Class “Conference” w/ Presentations
and Q & A Sessions
- HW: Scholarly Article(Argument/Conclusion)
1st Draft
9
HW: Scholarly Article Revision
16
Dec 15 –
Dec 19
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HW: Discipline-Specific Analogue
11
- Return Scholarly Articles
- Popular Culture Marathon
- In-Class Planning / Revision
Dec 8 –
Dec 12
Finals
4
- Class Final (6-8 pm)
-Revised Scholarly Articles Due
- Argument Synthesis Times Writing
- Timed Writing Strategies
- Final Community Building Activity