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First-Year Writing Seminar
EN01033
Boston College Spring 2014
MWF 1:00 PM
Stokes 121N
Fabiana Cabral
cabralfa@bc.edu
Stokes 430 A
Office hours: W 12:00pm-12:50pm or by appointment
Why Everyone Is a Critic, and Why They Should Be
Course Description:
What do activities like dancing, playing golf, forming Chinese calligraphy, or speaking Farsi
have in common with writing? They are all skills we learn by doing and improve by practicing.
We are all writers, whether we write stories, emails, essays, or Facebook posts. This course is
designed to help you acquire the knowledge and tools necessary to write effectively, as well as to
provide a training ground for you to make those skills feel second nature to you. Writing well is
a difficult yet rewarding goal that will serve you both in college, out of it, and long after it.
In this course, we will adhere to a particular inquiry, a lens through which we can focus our
intellectual discussion of what it means to do “good writing.” The question that will be guiding
us is the following: What does it mean to be a critic? One possible answer is that to be a critic,
we must form a judgment, and base that judgment on criteria of our choosing. We will be
taking the expression “Everyone is a critic,” to a whole new level: we will explore how we form
opinions and judgments, as well as why it is vital to not just “have” opinions (on entertainment,
academia, current events, etc.), but to have informed, dynamic opinions, and to know how to
express them to the best of our abilities.
Required Texts and Materials
 From Inquiry to Academic Writing by Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky (GL)
 The Little Brown Essential Handbook (7th Edition) by Jane E. Aaron (EH)
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I will assign readings for each class from the two listed required texts, as well as in the form of
PDF documents and web links posted on the Blackboard Vista site for this class (accessible via
your Agora account). This is important: you will need to do the reading in order to participate
in class discussion and writing exercises. You will not do well in this course if you do not do the
reading. That being said, I will never assign reading you cannot realistically complete before
each class.
Please bring a notebook (meant specifically for this class) or loose-leaf paper for in-class writing
projects. In order to organize your work for possible inclusion in your final portfolio, you should
also keep a folder with copies of all of your submitted drafts and revised assignments.
Assignments and Grading
This course will be organized around five units. Each unit will include class discussions of
writing conventions, in-class exercises, and weekly short writing assignments due on Fridays.
Units Two through Five also will include a draft and subsequent revision of a longer essay
assignment, one per unit.
Unit One: The Nuts and Bolts of Academic Writing
Unit Two: Writing About Our Own Experience
Unit Three: Criticism: Evaluating Culture
Unit Four: Researching Beyond What We Know
Unit Five: Opinion, or How to Argue Our Own View
Grade Breakdown:
Papers (4x)
Final Portfolio
Weekly Writings
Attendance/Participation
40 %
20 %
20 %
20 %
Portfolio:
The portfolio should serve as a guide to an outside observer of what you have learned in the
course. I would like you to keep all the longer essay writing that you do for this course (each
draft and revised version of the four main essays) in such a portfolio, preferably in the form of a
two pocket folder.
Revision is key in this course. During Unit Five, you will be converting your last essay (the
opinion piece) into a five minute oral presentation to be held in front of the class. Your
presentation performance will be evaluated as a part of the portfolio grade.
Weekly Writings:
Each weekly assignment will be due by 1:00pm on Friday; each Monday, we will briefly discuss
the specific prompt for that week’s assignment. I will grade each WW assignment with a check
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plus, check, or check minus based on perceived effort. Very important: I use the WW
assignments to also correct any consistent grammar/formatting issues I observe. While such
corrections will not impact your WW grade, if you continue to make those technical mistakes in
your main essays, it will negatively impact the grade for those papers.
I will assign the overall grade for the weekly writing section of the course by taking all of the
assignments into account as a whole. In other words, I will be evaluating both effort and
consistent submission. Each missed submission will lower your final WW grade by a third of a
letter grade (the difference between an A- and a B+).
Attendance and Participation:
This portion of the grade includes class and conference attendance, as well as active participation
in class discussions, in-class writing, and in offering feedback to your classmates during peerreview sessions and presentations.
Class Attendance: Because this class relies on in-class writing, group discussion, workshops
and peer-review, consistent attendance is required. Coming in late or leaving early will not be
acceptable, and if it happens more than twice, each occurrence thereafter will count as an
absence. You are allowed two absences. Each additional absence will lower your final
participation grade by a third of a letter grade. More than five absences from class will result in
you failing the course. If an emergency that causes prolonged absence arises, contact the firstyear Dean of your college.
Participation: Your participation grade will include completion of readings, participation in
class discussions, bringing appropriate materials to class, preparing for conferences, and
providing detailed feedback to your classmates during peer review and presentations.
Conferences: I will be meeting with each of you, one-on-one, at least four times this semester to
discuss your writing-in-progress. These meetings will be held either during office hours or
during designated class times. During these meetings, we will discuss your drafts and strategies
for revision. You run the conference: this means you must come prepared with questions,
problems, comments from your peers on your writing, etc. How well you prepare for these
meetings is a major factor in your participation grade.
Because attending these conferences will count as part of your attendance/participation grade,
missing an assigned conference time will count as an absence. Of course, you are welcome to
meet with me more than these four times if you have any questions or concerns about the class or
about any of your papers. If you cannot make my office hours, email me to set up an
appointment.
Classroom Policies
Plagiarism: According to the BC Policy on Academic Integrity, “Plagiarism is the deliberate act
of taking the words, ideas, data, illustrations, or statements of another person or source, and
presenting them as one's own. Each student is responsible for learning and using proper methods
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of paraphrasing and footnoting, quotation, and other forms of citation, to ensure that the original
author, speaker, illustrator, or source of the material used is clearly acknowledged.” Any
breaches of academic integrity will result in serious repercussions, such as failing the course. For
the university policies on academic integrity see: www.bc.edu/integrity. FYI: submission of the
same written work in more than one course without prior written approval from the instructors
involved is viewed as a form of cheating under the university policies.
Late Papers: All work is due at the time and date listed on the course schedule. Late drafts and
papers will automatically lose a third of a letter grade. I will not accept late weekly writing
assignments.
Grading Policy: Grades are largely dependent on the course outcomes (what we cover in class)
and the individual requirements of each assignment. For each major assignment, I will give you a
handout detailing what is expected of you, and your grade will be determined by your overall
effort and my judgment of how you incorporate assignment guidelines and course outcomes into
your work.
A’s are not the default grade in this class: that is the reality and challenge of a university
workload. You will receive C’s for average work, B’s for satisfactory work, and you will receive
A’s only when you exceed expectations. Grades for this class are a combination of effort and
achievement: you will not receive an A for putting forth a lot of effort but turning in poor
writing, but you will also not get an A for turning in technically correct writing that shows little
effort in terms of content.
I will not discuss individual grades during class time or via e-mail. However, I am more than
happy to discuss any grading concerns during my office hours.
Electronic Devices: While we are in the classroom, your focus should be on our class. Please
silence or turn off cell phones, and do not text, send emails, or G-chat during class time: it’s very
rude. If you decide to use laptops or other electronic devices to take class notes or to access PDF
documents, please refrain from using these devices to go online, or for any other sort of in-class
distraction. This will be your only warning: Failure to use electronic devices appropriately
will adversely affect your participation grade. I reserve the right to tell you to turn off your
devices at any time. As stated above, always be prepared with paper and writing utensils for inclass writing, which always will be manual, not digital.
Campus Resources Available to You:
Connors Family Learning Center (CFLC): Located in 200 O’Neill Library, this is a place
where you can go for one-on-one writing tutoring. A tutor won’t “fix” a paper, but can be a great
resource if you’re feeling stuck or if you’d just like the feedback of another reader. To schedule
an appointment, call (617) 552-0611.
Campus Technology Resource Center (CTRC): Located in 250 O’Neill Library, this is a place
to access a computer and print documents like the PDF readings from our Blackboard site.
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Counseling Services: (001 Gasson Hall). College can be an incredible stressful time, especially
during your freshman year. If things seem a bit tough for you at any point, or if you would just
like someone to talk to—about feeling homesick, fitting in at BC, or feeling depressed or
overwhelmed—there are great people available to listen and help through the University
Counseling Services. Call (617) 552-3310 to set up an appointment or just stop by. It’s free to
all students. More at http://www.bc.edu/offices/counseling/
Accommodations for Disabilities
If you have a disability and will be requesting accommodations for this course, please register
with Kathy Duggan [kathleen.duggan@bc.edu], Associate Director, Academic Support Services,
The Connors Family Learning Center (learning disabilities or ADHD) or Paulette Durette
[paulette.durrett@bc.edu] Assistant Dean for Students with Disabilities (all other
disabilities). Advanced notice and appropriate documentation are required for accommodations.
Spring 2014 MWF Schedule
Week 1:
Monday, 1/13: Introductions
Wednesday, 1/15: Rethinking Writing
Friday, 1/17: Thesis (WW#1 Due)
Reading: EH pg. 5; Orwell: “Confessions of a Book Reviewer” (BB)
Week 2:
Monday, 1/20: NO CLASS, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Wednesday, 1/22: College Writing: Direct and No B.S.
Reading: Zinsser’s chapter “Simplicity” (BB); GL, pg. 1-10
Friday, 1/24: Rhetorical Situations (WW#2 Due)
Reading: Edmundson “On the Uses of a liberal Education” (GL pg. 322-336)
Week 3:
Monday, 1/27: Revision Process
Reading: “Shitty First Drafts” (BB), “The History of Coffee” (BB), Harris “Revising” (BB)
Wednesday, 1/29: Stories
Reading: Ilgunas “When Home is a Campus Parking Lot” (BB), two Domics videos (BB)
Friday, 1/31: Vivid Description (WW#3 Due)
Reading: Strayed “The Love of My Life” (BB), extract from Persepolis (GL pg. 678-695)
Week 4: CONFERENCE WEEK
Monday, 2/3: Criticism from Peers (Narrative Draft Due)
Reading: Straub, pg. 136-142 (BB), “Critics” YouTube video (BB)
Wednesday, 2/5: Narrative Draft: Peer Review
Friday, 2/7: Conferences (no class) (WW#4 Due)
Week 5:
Monday, 2/10: Miley Criticism (Revised Narrative Due)
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Reading: Miley Cyrus video of 2013 VMAs (BB), “Media React in Shock” (BB), Slate Gabfest
segment (BB), Rosen article (BB)
Wednesday, 2/12: Criteria: Structuring a Review
Reading: TBA
Friday, 2/14: Selling to Audiences (WW#5 Due)
Week 6:
Monday, 2/17: Writing Venues
Wednesday, 2/19: Setting Tone
Reading: Peter Wells review of Guy Fieri’s restaurant (BB), Gabfest on “Hatchet Jobs” (BB),
Gabfest on “Niceness” (BB), “How to Write a Bad Review” (BB)
Friday, 2/21: Collective Film Review (WW#6 Due)
Reading: Watch Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby film (on reserve at O’Neill)
Week 7: CONFERENCE WEEK
Monday, 2/24: Research: “Issues” (Critical Review Draft Due)
Reading: GL pg. 85-89
Wednesday, 2/26: Critical Review Draft: Peer Review (D.G. Rules)
Friday, 2/28: Conferences (no class) (WW#7 Due)
Week 8:
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK, NO CLASSES: SCHOOL AND OFFICES CLOSED
Monday, 3/3 - Friday, 3/7
Enjoy your break!
Week 9:
Monday, 3/10: Structure: Outlining/Student Paper Exercise (Revised Critical Review Due)
Wednesday, 3/12: LIBRARY DAY
Friday, 3/14: “Expert Opinions”: Sources (WW#8 Due)
Reading: Atlantic article “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” (BB)
Week 10: CONFERENCE WEEK
Monday, 3/17: Plagiarism (Researched Issue Draft Due)
Wednesday, 3/19: Researched Issue: Peer Review
Friday, 3/21: Conferences (no class) (WW#9 Due)
Week 11:
Monday, 3/24: Opinion Workshop
Wednesday, 3/26: Opinion: Social Critique
Friday, 3/28: Logical Fallacies (WW#10 Due) (Revised Researched Issue Due)
Reading: Kony 2012 YouTube video (BB), GL pg. 218-222
Week 12: CONFERENCE WEEK
Monday, 3/31: Opinion: Scroll-down Disasters (Opinion Piece Draft Due)
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Reading: Kreider’s “The Busy Trap” (BB), Harris “Countering” (BB)
Wednesday, 4/2: Opinion Piece: Peer Review
Friday, 4/4: Conferences (no class) (WW#11 Due)
Week 13:
Monday, 4/7: TBA (Revised Opinion Piece Due)
Wednesday, 4/9: TBA
Friday, 4/11: Gift of Gab (WW#12 Due)
Week 14:
Monday, 4/14: TBA
Wednesday, 4/16: Presentations I
Friday, 4/18: NO CLASS, Good Friday
Week 15:
Monday, 4/21: NO CLASS, Patriot’s Day/Easter Monday
Wednesday, 4/23: Presentations II
Friday, 4/25: Presentations III (WW#13 Due)
Week 16:
Monday, 4/28: Presentations IV
Wednesday, 4/30: Epilogue: Pizza and Letter Writing
FINAL PORTFOLIOS DUE: May 2nd
The following reflects the expected trajectory of this course. However, I reserve the right to
change the content of the syllabus at any time to better reflect the needs of the class.