FIRST YEAR WRITING AND RHETORIC
University of Colorado at Boulder
WRTG 1150, section 005 – Fall Semester 2007
MWF 8:00-noon, ECON 16
Dr. Rosalyn H. Zigmond
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Office hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 a.m., 11:00-noon, and by appointment
Environmental Design Bldg. (ENVD) 1B74 – Enter NW corner of building; office is downstairs
Mailbox in Program for Writing and Rhetoric lobby
Office phone/voice mail: 303.735.5654
Rosalyn.zigmond@colorado.edu (preferred communication)
The purpose of office hours is for us to discuss your writing. If you have questions, don’t know
how to start, aren’t sure if you’re on the right track, or would like feedback on a draft before you
submit it, please see me. While it is best to schedule an appointment, it not necessary.
Required Texts
Knowing Words - handbook written by CU’s Program for Writing and Rhetoric
VanderMey, R., Meyer, V., Van Rys, J., & Sebranek, P. (2007). The college writer’s handbook
Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Course Overview and Objectives
First Year Writing and Rhetoric will help you to participate in academic discussions and larger
civic debates. The course focuses on introducing you to the tools of analysis and argument
essential to success in college and in professional and civic life. We develop high order thinking
skills such as analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating, and inferring as appropriate for various
rhetorical situations. This course addresses the following objectives:
 Identify your own needs, challenges, and resources when writing.
 Understand writing as a series of choices within a rhetorical context and as a recursive
process with ongoing substantive revision at its heart.
 Understand the process of making and defending inferences.
 Develop critical reading strategies.
 Evaluate multiple perspectives on a given issue and the connections among them.
 Effectively use various revision strategies, including collaborative work and peer responses.
 Understand how to develop, assert, and revise claims in response to growing bodies of
evidence.
 Understand how to acknowledge, integrate, and respond to skeptical questions,
counterarguments, and evidence contrary to one’s own case.
 Understand strategic options for shaping and structuring an analysis or argument to
accommodate audience needs.
 Learn to use and evaluate information resources (print and electronic).
 Evaluate citations and sources (print and electronic) critically in terms of their original context.
 Understand issues of academic honesty and the legal and ethical dimensions as writers.
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Assignments
Points
Grades
Textbook Summary
20
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RESEARCH PROJECT #1
Annotated Bibliography
Deliberative Essay
20
20
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RESEARCH PROJECT #2
Deliberative Essay
Presentation
20
20
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 Readings from textbooks will be assigned in class and will require short writing assignments.
 Library Tutorials - located at http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/pwr/tutorial/home.htm. Failure to
submit any section of this assignment by the due date or receive 0% on any quiz will result in
a deduction of 3 points (3%) from your final course grade.
 Library Seminar – a mandatory, interactive seminar designed to help you hone your research
skills will be held in Norlin Library on the 3rd floor in room E303. Date on schedule to be
confirmed.
Assignment Descriptions
TEXTBOOK SUMMARY
The purpose of this summary is to read the VanderMey handbook critically and to practice
summarizing skills. Include the title of the text and its authors in the first paragraph and organize
this summary so that it directly reflects the text’s organization. A summary includes only key
elements, the fundamental contents, of the primary text; it is a condensation of this larger text and
contains its essential elements of information. Do not include any evaluative statements in this
summary, such as “This is a well-written chapter.”
Audience:
Purpose:
Length:
writing instructors
to decide whether or not to use this textbook
2 pages (approximately 500 words)
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
An annotated bibliography is a list of sources that describes and evaluates each source. Each
entry contains the source, properly cited in the appropriate documentation format (APA, not MLA,
for our course), and a variety of information. In most cases, annotated bibs contain a brief
summary of the source in approximately 100 words and an even briefer evaluation of the source.
For the purpose of our course, your annotated bib should contain (1) at least 6 alphabetized
citation entries in APA style, (2) a 100-word summary of each source, (3) quotes you may want to
use in your deliberative essay, including their page or paragraph numbers, and (4) a few personal
notes about the usability for each source.
Writing an annotated bib allows you to organize your sources and understand the value of each.
Research projects that generate a significant quantity of sources and information can be
overwhelming, interfering with the writer’s critical reading and analysis of such a large body of
research. In short, the annotated bib is a functional document that greatly facilitates writing a
lengthy research project.
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Audience:
Purpose:
Length:
Sources:
undergraduate college students
to initiate research in this area by other college students
5-7 pages
at least 6, 3 of which are scholarly (significant reference lists)
LITERATURE REVIEW
Understanding prior research on a particular topic is fundamental in research. Consequently, lit
reviews begin with a well-crafted research question. This question serves as a thesis and guides
your research and writing. Unless we know what has been studied, discussed, and recommended
by others, we cannot sufficiently argue for a new or different line of thinking. You will identify
critical gaps, needs, and problems from the research in your lit review.
The structure of the lit review notes the question and its rationale in the introduction. Supporting
body paragraphs are comparisons and contrasts of the sources you found organized by topic, not
source. In other words, instead of addressing one source per paragraph, compare several
sources on one topic in each paragraph. The conclusion focuses on the gaps, needs, and
problems you found in your research. You must include a citation for approximately 70 percent of
your sentences in APA style.
Audience:
Purpose:
Length:
Sources:
graduate students
inform readers of pertinent research on this topic
5-7 pages
at least 6, 3 of which are scholarly (significant reference lists)
DELIBERATIVE ESSAYS
Deliberative essays, arguments, address an issue of concern to the writer and to the writer’s
audience. It develops a position, or claim, on an issue. Deliberative essays demonstrate critical
thinking about and analyzing the various standpoints that may be taken on an issue. The
introduction contains your claim, covertly or overtly stated. Body paragraphs contain documented
points of support or counter arguments with refutations. And the conclusion synthesizes your
argument with the new knowledge gleaned from your research. You must choose different types
of arguments for each of these 2 essays.
Your goal is to convince readers that your perspective on a specific subject is sound and logical.
It must also thoughtfully consider others’ ideas and positions, acknowledging the reasons that
others hold these ideas and positions, and refute them logically. This is your opportunity to get
acquainted with the standards of intelligent, academic argument, not to rehash information from
research. As part of your argument, show original thinking and new, opposite, or fresh
perspectives on someone else’s ideas.
Audience:
Purpose:
Length:
Sources:
you decide
you decide
5-7 pages
at least 6, 3 of which are scholarly (significant reference lists)
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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PRESENTATION
The purpose of the presentation is to convince your classmates of an important issue ingrained in
either one of your research projects, your choice by demonstrating your public speaking and
persuasive skills. A schedule of presentations will be distributed in class and you will have
approximately 10 minutes to speak and answer questions. Your grade will be evaluated on your
knowledge in the area, strength of your argument, and the quality of a 1-page handout/visual aid.
To receive full credit, you must also address the following concerns:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Your claim and how you crafted it.
Importance of this topic in society.
Evidence that answers your research question and supports your claim.
Counter perspectives and arguments and your refutations of them.
Gaps and trends you found in your research.
Writing Workshops
Workshops are fun opportunities for you and your peers to give each other constructive feedback.
You are expected to participate actively by listening intently to your classmates’ concerns about
their projects and offering them constructive, critical feedback. “I really like your paper” is not
appropriate feedback because it does not afford constructive criticism or suggestions for revision.
In our class, we will participate in Inner Circle Workshops, a unique forum in which approximately
6 students will distribute copies of their current draft to each other (and the instructor) and discuss
them in a small circle; drafts will be distributed to group members in advance. The rest of the
class will actively listen to the conversation. After the workshop, everyone will write a brief
reflection on the workshop in terms of what they learned and what they would still like to know.
These reflections will be submitted to the instructor. A schedule will be distributed in the
beginning of the semester.
Criteria for Paper Submission
No late papers! Be sure to submit your paper in class on its due date. If you must miss class,
you may email your paper to me on the day it’s due and bring a hard copy to the next class
meeting. All papers must meet the following guidelines:
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1-inch margins, double-spaced, and 12-point Times New Roman font.
Stapled, not clipped. (I do not carry a stapler with me!)
Cover page including the name of the assignment, course, date, and your name
Name and page number must appear on every page
Keep all drafts of all assignments
Address the following questions in your writing:
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Who is your audience and what is your purpose for writing?
How does the introduction orient the reader to the whole paper?
Does your paper have a clear thesis/claim/position/topic statement? Where is it?
Does each body paragraph support the main idea controlling the whole paper?
Is the support presented in a logical and discernable organization?
Have you acknowledged multiple perspectives in argumentative writing?
Does the conclusion leave the reader with an important point to ponder?
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Attendance and Participation
Attendance is critical to benefit from the full learning experience of this class. You are allowed 4
absences without any ramifications. On your 5th absence, and each absence after that, you will
lose 2 points. Excessive lateness, open laptops, and the sight or sound of cell phones may be
counted as an absence.
However, if you have 2 or fewer absences, you will be rewarded with 2 extra credit points in your
final course grade. An absence will be excused only with a signed note from a health care
provider. Remember that the whole course is worth 100 points, so attendance affects your grade
significantly.
Revisions
Each paper may be revised and submitted once for a higher grade (not averaged). However, I am
happy to discuss your work with you as often as you like in my office or in class when time
permits.
Criteria for Evaluation
Please note the following criteria that will be evaluated holistically for each project:
 Awareness of rhetorical situation: audience and purpose
 Clear sense of writer’s intellectual engagement and conceptual clarity, even with complex
ideas
 Focused line of thought throughout the document
 Serious, complete idea development
 Proper presentation of genre
 Orienting, engaging introduction
 Provocative conclusion that synthesizes message
 Argument with clear claim, logical support, acknowledgement or refutation of counter
perspectives and arguments
 Clear central idea that anchors a logical organizational structure
 Appropriate and correct integration of external sources
 Unified paragraphs with clear topic and concluding sentences, directly supportive of thesis
 Syntax appropriate for rhetorical situation
 Fluent transitions between words, sentences, paragraphs, and sections
 Conscientious word choice, appropriate for rhetorical situation
 Correct use of punctuation, spelling, punctuation
 Correct use of citation style
Checks in your drafts generally signal a mechanical concern (i.e., punctuation and spelling) and
underlining signals word choice or sentential concerns.
Please note that all grades are numbers, not letters. A grade of 5 out of 20, for example (5/20),
means that the writing is below standard; it does not mean that you received 25% on the
assignment. If you choose not to revise this assignment, however, you will receive only 5 points
for it in your course grade.
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Revisions
Each paper may be revised and submitted once for a higher grade (draft grades are not averaged).
However, I am happy to discuss your work with you as often as you like in my office or in class
when time permits.
Final Course Grade
96 – 100%
90 – 95%
86 – 89%
83 – 85%
80 – 82%
76 – 79%
73 – 75%
70 – 72%
66 – 69%
63 – 65%
60 – 62%
Below 60%
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Plagiarism
All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for knowing and adhering to the
academic integrity policy of this institution. Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism,
aid of academic dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All incidents of
academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council (honor@colorado.edu; 303-7252273). Students who are found to be in violation of the academic integrity policy will be subject to
both academic sanctions from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not
limited to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the Honor Code can
be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/
Emergency Phone Number
Counseling and Psychological Services
Willard Administration Center, Room 134
Phone: (303) 492-6766
Instructor Agreement
As your instructor, I will coach you through the semester to improve your writing and reading skills,
meet the objectives the University of Colorado has established for this course, and meet your needs
as developing writers. My role is that of tutor, facilitator, guide, and evaluator. I will assess your work
and assign grades accordingly. Please discuss grades or other class issues with me when they arise
so we can enjoy a constructive learning experience together.
Special Notes
(1) The Boulder Provost's Disability Task Force recommended syllabus
statement:
"If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit to
me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner so that your needs may be addressed.
Disability Services determines accommodations based on
documented disabilities. Contact: 303-492-8671, Willard 322, and
http://www.Colorado.EDU/disabilityservices"
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Disability Services' letters for students with disabilities indicate legally
mandated reasonable accommodations. The syllabus statements and answers to
Frequently Asked Questions can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/disabilityservices
(2) It is the responsibility of every instructor to clearly explain his or her procedures about absences
due to religious observances in the course syllabus so that all students are fully informed, in writing,
near the beginning of each semester's classes. Campus policy regarding religious observances
states that faculty must make reasonable accommodation for them and in so doing, be careful not to
inhibit or penalize those students who are exercising their rights to religious observance. Faculty
should be aware that a given religious holiday may be observed with very different levels of
attentiveness by different members of the same religious group and thus may require careful
consideration to the particulars of each individual case. See
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html”
A comprehensive calendar of the religious holidays most commonly observed by
CU-Boulder students is at http://www.interfaithcalendar.org/
Recommended syllabus statement:
"Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort to
reasonably and fairly deal with all students who, because of
religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or
required attendance. In this class, {{insert your procedures here}}
See full details at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/fac_relig.html"
(3) Faculty and students should be aware of the campus "Classroom Behavior"
policy at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html as well as faculty rights and
responsibilities listed at http://www.colorado.edu/FacultyStaff/faculty-booklet.html#Part_1
These documents describe examples of unacceptable classroom behavior and
provide information on how to handle such circumstances should they arise.
Faculty are encouraged to address the issue of classroom behavior in the
syllabus.
Recommended syllabus statement:
"Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate
learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to
discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals
and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender,
gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's
legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun.
Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes
to my records. See polices at
http://www.colorado.edu/policies/classbehavior.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/studentaffairs/judicialaffairs/code.html#studentcode”
(4) The Office of Discrimination and Harassment recommends the following
syllabus statement:
"The University of Colorado at Boulder policy on Discrimination and Harassment, the University of
Colorado policy on Sexual Harassment and the University of Colorado policy on Amorous
Relationships apply to all students, staff and faculty. Any student, staff or faculty member who
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
p. 7
believes s/he has been the subject of discrimination or harassment based upon race, color, national
origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status should contact the Office of
Discrimination and Harassment (ODH) at 303-492-2127 or the Office of Judicial Affairs at 303-4925550. Information about the ODH, the above referenced policies and the campus resources
available to assist individuals regarding discrimination or harassment can be obtained at
http://www.colorado.edu/odh "
(5) The Boulder campus has a student Honor Code and individual faculty members are expected to
familiarize themselves with its tenets and follow the approved procedures should violations be
perceived. The Honor Council recommended syllabus statement:
"All students of the University of Colorado at Boulder are responsible for
knowing and adhering to the academic integrity policy of this institution.
Violations of this policy may include: cheating, plagiarism, aid of academic
dishonesty, fabrication, lying, bribery, and threatening behavior. All
incidents of academic misconduct shall be reported to the Honor Code Council
(honor@colorado.edu; 303-725-2273). Students who are found to be in violation
of the academic integrity policy will be subject to both academic sanctions
from the faculty member and non-academic sanctions (including but not limited
to university probation, suspension, or expulsion). Other information on the
Honor Code can be found at http://www.colorado.edu/policies/honor.html and at
http://www.colorado.edu/academics/honorcode/ "
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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Course Schedule (Tentative)
 Failure to bring drafts to class on WORKSHOP due dates will be counted as an absence.
 Papers are due at the START of class.
WEEK
1
MONDAY
8/27
Course overview
WEDNESDAY
8/29
Introductions
FRIDAY
8/31
Introductions
2
9/3
LABOR DAY!
9/5
9/7
3
9/10
TS WORKSHOP gr1
9/12
TS WORKSHOP gr2
4
9/17
TS DUE
9/19
9/21
5
9/24
AB WORKSHOP gr2
9/26
AB WORKSHOP gr3
9/28
AB WORKSHOP gr1
6
10/1
AB WORKSHOP gr3
10/3
AB WORKSHOP gr1
10/5
AB WORKSHOP gr2
7
10/8
AB DUE
10/10
10/12
8
10/15
DE#1 WORKSHOP gr1
10/17
DE#1 WORKSHOP gr2
10/19
DE#1 WORKSHOP gr3
9
10/22
DE#1 WORKSHOP gr2
10/24
DE#1 WORKSHOP v3
10/26
DE#1 WORKSHOP gr1
10
10/29
DE#1 DUE
10/31
11/2
11
11/5
11/7
12
11/12
11/14
11/9
REVISIONS OF TS, AB, DE#1
FINAL DEADLINE
11/16
13
11/19
THANKSGIVING BREAK!
11/21
THANKSGIVING BREAK!
11/23
THANKSGIVING BREAK!
14
11/26
DE#2 WORKSHOP gr3
11/28
DE#2 WORKSHOP gr1
11/30
DE#2 WORKSHOP gr2
15
12/3
Presentations
DE#2 DUE
12/10
Presentations
12/5
Presentations
12/7
Presentations
12/12
Presentations
12/14
LAST DAY OF CLASS!
16
FIRST YEAR WRITING & RHETORIC - WRTG 1150 - Fall 2007 - Zigmond
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9/14
TS WORKSHOP gr3
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