English 111: Composition and Rhetoric (2013)
Instructor: Kathleen Coffey
Section: AJ ; CD
Day/Time: MWF - 8:30 - 9:25AM (AJ) ; 10:00 - 10:55AM (CD)
Location: Upham 328
Office: Bachelor 311
Office Hours: MW 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Email: coffeykm@miamioh.edu
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” -Anton Chekhov
Required Texts and Materials
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Andrea Lunsford and John Ruszkiewicz, Everything’s an Argument, 6th edition
(Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013). ISBN-978-1-4576-3755-1 -- This is a digital copy of this
book and the access codes should be available at campus bookstores or on the
Bedford/St. Martin’s website.
College Composition at Miami (Volume 66). 2013. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil -Should be available at campus bookstores
Free online course pack (available digitally)
English 111, Composition and Rhetoric, is a writing course designed to teach you the rhetorical
skills you’ll need to compose, revise, and critically analyze texts as well as write more effectively
in terms of audience, purpose, and context. In this class, you will learn to:
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Develop effective strategies for generating ideas; researching topics; composing drafts;
revising, peer responding, editing, and proofreading writing via print and digital media.
Conduct research-based inquiries, use invention techniques effectively to explore your
own ideas, engage different perspectives, and develop findings into sustained
arguments or narratives.
Locate, evaluate, integrate, and cite secondary sources of information effectively and
ethically, using appropriate academic citation methods.
Produce effectively organized writing that is stylistically appropriate, demonstrating
careful attention to proofreading and meeting conventional expectations for particular
audiences in specific contexts, genres, etc.
Develop critical awareness of the unique affordances and limitations of writing
technologies and modalities of communication, both digital and non-digital.
Reflect critically on your own writing practices and rhetorical decisions.
As a Miami Plan Foundation course, English 111 meets the broad goals of a liberal education: to
nurture your intellectual capabilities to think critically, to understand diverse contexts, to
engage with other learners, and to apply knowledge and skills learned through effective
reflection and action. The intellectual skills developed in this course will help you in your
academic writing at the university but also in your future civic, social, and professional work.
Major Projects and Course Requirements
English 111 will be centered around five major writing inquiries — as listed in the table below.
Each inquiry is comprised of a number of components, including class activities, shorter writing
assignments, drafts, peer responses, proposals, research notes, reflective cover letter, and a
major final essay. For each inquiry, you can expect to compose approximately 1000 – 2000
words of formal revised writing (or multimedia equivalent), including a reflective cover letter in
which you discuss the rhetorical choices you made in composing your essay. You also will
compose approximately 1000 – 2000 words of informal writing during each inquiry (e.g.
invention and revision exercises, rough drafts, research notes, proposals, peer response
comments, reflections).
1. Initial Reflective
Inquiry
Analyzing and reflecting on your rhetorical practices in a
particular context.
150 pts
(15%)
2. Rhetorical
Analysis
Using rhetorical analysis as a method to analyze a text.
150 pts
(15%)
3. Public,
Research-Based
Argument
Researching and making a rhetorical argument about a public
issue.
200 pts
(20%)
4. Remediation
Inquiry
Understanding how the medium affects the message by
remediating a previous piece of writing (by changing the
medium and/or modality of communication) to present your
work to a new audience.
150 pts
(15%)
5. Final Reflective
Inquiry
Reflecting on your writing and rhetoric through analysis of
your coursework, which is collected in a digital portfolio.
150 pts
(15%)
6. Daily Writing
Daily informal writing homework designed to help you
generate ideas for and explore revisions of your major inquiry
projects. Typically, your writing will be in a blog or on Google
Docs.
100 pts
(10%)
7. Participation
Active participation in peer response, collaborative group work
activities, and in-class writing
100 pts
(10%)
TOTAL
1000 pts
(100%)
Completion of all Projects
You must complete all five of the individual major writing inquiries to potentially receive a C or
higher in the course. If you fail to complete all five major inquiries, the highest grade you can
receive is a C.
Policies
Attendance/Participation
As a student at Miami, you are expected to attend every class session. Attendance and
participation are of utmost importance to the success of this class and to your development as
a writer, as much of the learning in English 111 happens via in-class inquiry activities, in-class
writing assignments, class discussion, and group interaction that cannot be easily made up or
replicated outside of class. You are allowed a maximum of 3 unexcused absences in this course.
Each unexcused absence after 3 will result in a lowering of your final grade for the course (by
one tier, for example from B to B-).
Tardiness. Two late arrivals equals an unexcused absence.
Daily Schedule
The daily course schedule and more detailed assignment prompts will be available digitally. The
course schedule is subject to change based on the needs and interests of the class. You are
responsible for checking the schedule regularly for updates.
Late Work
All assignments must be turned in on time. Drafts must be turned in on time. Final grades on
papers will be downgraded one whole grade for each day late (for example, from an A to B).
Revisions
Throughout the semester, we will discuss different strategies for revising your drafts. There will
be class time dedicated to your peers giving you feedback on your work. The writing centers on
campus are always available to you--I highly suggest visiting the writing center. In addition to
these opportunities to revise your work before deadlines, I will also offer an extra revision on
an inquiry as part of the last inquiry in this semester. The revision process oftentimes requires
changes in organization, tone, content, etc, and I expect this process to be taken seriously.
Distractions
Please silence your cell phone and refrain from texting. While we will regularly use computers
for in-class writing, research, and collaboration, please refrain from using your computer for
non-class activities. You must be physically and mentally present during class—if you’re
sleeping, texting, or surfing the web, or using your computer for non-class activities, it will
count as an absence.
Backing up your Work/Transferring your Work
Please make sure to have a plan for backing up all of your digital work in multiple places in case
of computer failure. Also make sure to save the writing you complete in-class. Using a USB flash
drive, emailing documents to yourself, or using an online drop box tool are all good options for
backing up or transferring your work.
Uploading Work
Most of the work you’ll do in class and submit to me will be submitted digitally through Google
drive drop box, which I will set up and share with you within the first week of class. Always
double check that you’ve submitted the correct file, that the file you’ve submitted is not
corrupt, and that your file is in the correct Google folder. You are responsible for getting the
correct, non-corrupted files submitted on time.
Respect / Community
While we will often engage in vigorous and lively debate in this class, personal insults or attacks
on an individual person’s race, class, gender, sexuality, or disability will not be tolerated in class
or in your written work for ENG 111.
Access / Accommodations
If you have a documented disability, please speak to me early in the semester so we can discuss
your learning style. I am willing to work with you to establish a plan for your academic success.
You can also obtain additional information and support from the Office of Learning Disabilities
Services 513-529-8741 or The Office of Disability Resources 513-529-1541.
Academic Integrity / Plagiarism
The assumption in English 111 is you’re writing the assignments you submit. Your writing
should also be original to English 111—you should not be turning in work from previous or
current classes for English 111.
To copy someone else's writing without acknowledging it through proper citation is an act of
academic as well as professional dishonesty, whether you borrow an entire report or a single
sentence. The most serious forms of academic dishonesty are to "buy" an entire paper, to have
someone else write an assignment for you, or to turn in someone else's entire paper (or
significant portions of an existing piece of writing) and call it your own. These forms of
dishonesty constitute serious breaches of academic integrity. If you have doubts about whether
or not you are using your own or others' writing ethically, ask an instructor. For further details
about Academic Integrity at Miami University — including a detailed list of examples of
academic dishonesty and procedures and penalties for dealing with instances of academic
dishonesty — see http://www.muohio.edu/integrity/undergrads.cfm.
Grades
Your overall grades will be available to you at midterm and towards the end of the semester.
You will receive individual grades on your inquiries. Blog posts are credit/no credit--I will
contact you if I find that you are consistently receiving “no credit” for your blog posts with the
chance to redo your work. If you want any updates on your grades or if you have any questions
about your grades specifically, please schedule a meeting with me.
Grading Scale
A 100-94%
A- 93-90%
1000/1000 – 940/1000 points
930/1000 – 900/1000 points
B+ 89-87%
B 86-84%
B- 83-80%
890/1000 – 870/1000 points
860/1000 – 840/1000 points
830/1000 – 800/1000 points
C+ 79-77%
C 76-74%
C- 73-70%
790/1000 – 770/1000 points
760/1000 – 740/1000 points
730/1000 – 700/1000 points
D+ 69-67%
D 66-64%
D- 63-60%
690/1000 – 670/1000 points
660/1000 – 640/1000 points
630/1000 – 600/1000 points
F 59% and below
590/1000 points and below
Resources
• Your classmates. Rely on one another for the questions you have regarding the readings, the
work we’re doing in class, software we may be using, etc.
• Your Instructor. I want you to succeed in this course; feel free to meet with me during my
office hours or another scheduled time if I can help you in this course. Email is also a reliable
way to contact me. I’ll try my best to respond in a timely manner.
• IT Support (513-529-7900; ithelp@muohio.edu; 317 Hughes hall) The IT support desk is the
main point of contact for technology questions at Miami, including issues with connecting to
MU wireless.
• Howe (King Library) and Windate (18 Peabody) Writing Centers. The Howe Writing Center is
located on the main floor of King Library. The Center is staffed with writing consultants from
many different academic areas. In a one-on-one workshop, a staff member will consult with
you concerning work-in-progress, final drafts, research style, and many other aspects of writing.
The writing center is appointment-based: it is best to schedule an appointment ahead of time,
but you may also walk in on days when they have consultants available. For further
information, visit the student resources site at http://writingcenter.lib.muohio.edu/.
• The Student Counseling Service. Located in the Health Services Center, this office provides a
wide range of counseling services. For more information, call 513-529-4634.
• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL). A very helpful guide to many issues you might have
throughout the writing process. For further information, visit their site:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
Lastly, I reserve the right to modify the course schedule as needed for our class.