GSW 1110, page 1
GENERAL STUDIES WRITING 1110
Fall 2011
Hayes Hall #108
Section 166L
Tuesdays/Thursdays 1:00-2:15pm
Instructor:
Email:
Office:
Office Phone:
Office Hours:
Mailbox:
Writing Center:
Writing Center Phone:
Writing Center Website:
BGSU Technology Support Center
Mrs. Heather Trahan
htrahan@bgsu.edu
339B East Hall
419.372.0571
Thursdays 2:30-3:30pm (and by appointment)
210 East Hall (my mailbox is above my name)
303 Moseley Hall
419.372.2221 (call ahead to make an appointment)
http://www.bgsu.edu/offices/writingctr/
110 Hayes Hall; 419.372.0999
REQUIRED MATERIALS & TEXTS
 The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing. Short 9th Edition. Rise B. Axelrod and Charles L. Cooper.
Bedford/St. Martin, 2010.
 A Writer’s Resource. 3rd edition. Elaine Maimon, Janice Peritz, and Kathleen Yancey. McGraw
Hill, 2009.
 Portfolio of GSW 1100/1110 materials (available at the BGSU Bookstore and SBX
Bookstore)
 A spiral notebook (this will be your “journal”). Bring this to every class for in-class writing.
 Bring a fully-charged laptop to every class meeting; laptop must have Microsoft Word and
Adobe reader
 A means of backing up your work, such as a flash drive
 Your online blackboard account for this class; please check frequently for handouts,
assignments, announcements, etc.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
GSW 1110 will introduce you to academic writing—the kind of writing that you will be asked to do
throughout college, regardless of major. This course has been designed to help you more easily make
the transition from high school writing to college-level writing. This class will also prepare you for
writing that, one day, you will be performing in the community and/or your career.
This is a highly interactive “workshop” class; we (you, your classmates, me) will write, think, and
discuss together. You will explore many activities during class-time; therefore, listening to lectures
and taking notes will not be the main focus of the class. I will introduce you to writing process
strategies which will deepen and expand your mind, and also make you feel more comfortable with
the act of composing written language. You will be provided with feedback on your drafts—and
then, you will learn how to critically evaluate that feedback in order to thoughtfully revise.
GSW 1110, page 2
To achieve these various goals, you will write 5 major essays as well as a number of smaller, more
informal writing tasks. As the semester progresses, you will be carefully collecting your rough drafts
and final drafts of your major papers into a portfolio, which you will submit at the end of the term.
In addition to compositions, you will meet with me twice during the semester, in my office, so we
can talk about writing.
Another important thing to know is this: everything I assign you (reading homework, in-class
activities, journal writing) is meant to help you acquire the knowledge and skills that you need in
order to successfully compose each of the 5 major papers. It’s all connected. I am aware that you
have many other courses to devote your time to; therefore, it is my philosophy to always carefully
reflect upon every single thing I ask you to do. It is my hope that all aspects of this GSW course will
serve to holistically support your larger task of building an end-of-term portfolio that you can be
proud of.
The major papers you will compose this term will be:
1) This I Believe: in this assignment you will compose a 1-2 page essay that describes your
major life philosophies/ethical system.
2) Arguing a Position: in this 3-4 page paper you will argue a thesis and use experience from
your life as evidence.
3) Arguing a Position with Sources: in this 3-4 page paper you will present a thesis and
utilize at least 2 credible sources as you defend that thesis.
4) Proposing a Solution: in this 3-4 page paper you will describe a problem currently facing
college students (either locally, regionally, or nationally); you will then argue for a best
solution and a backup solution, giving in-depth, step-by-step explanation for how these
solutions can be implemented. You will use at least 2 credible sources for this paper.
5) Justifying an Evaluation: in this 5-6 page paper the goal will be to evaluate your experience
thus far at BGSU, justifying your evaluation with a set of clearly-defined criteria and the use
of at least 2 credible sources.
CLASSROOM POLICIES
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For every class meeting, as soon as class begins, all laptops will be closed and will remain
closed until I ask you to open them.
Students may not access the Internet unless doing so is part of a required class activity.
As soon as class begins, students must turn off their cell phones and put them out of sight.
At precisely 1:00pm, I will take attendance. If you are not present when I take attendance, I
will mark you absent in my record book. In the rare situation that you are late, it is your
responsibility to stay after class for a moment and verbally alert me to the fact that you were
present, so that I may mark you present in my attendance book (otherwise, you will not get
credit for being there).
If I am ever more than ten minutes late to class, you may leave without penalty.
Students may not leave class until the class has been dismissed. If special needs arise
regarding arriving late or departing early, please talk to me in advance.
Please do not gather up your things before class is officially dismissed: this action is
distracting to myself and others. Class is over at 2:15pm. Each minute counts, as we have a
great deal of material to cover in a short amount of time. Sometimes, I might dismiss class
early…but please don’t expect it.
GSW 1110, page 3
OUR CLASSROOM COMMUNITY: SOME PHILOSOPHIES
Your teachers in other classes will have different philosophies about how to act in the
classroom or what classrooms are for or what should happen in a classroom. All teachers are
different in what they expect and believe. Of course. Diversity is natural and good. But since
it can be confusing (and perhaps frustrating!) to try to “figure out” what kind of a teacher I
am, I thought it might be helpful for me to be up-front with you about some of my personal
beliefs about the kind of classroom community I’d like us to build…
Sometimes I might say “I don’t know” or “I don’t know, let me get back to you” or “I don’t know,
let me think about that.” Sometimes, you might say “I don’t know.” Sometimes, when I ask you a
question, you will only be able to respond to part of the matter. Or, maybe it will take you weeks to
come to an answer. (Or maybe you won’t understand until years later, long after this course has
passed.) These are actually symptoms of a healthy learning environment.
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Wisdom means acknowledging that we cannot know all things at all times.
Sometimes, also, I won’t immediately know the answer to one of your questions. Or, sometimes,
you won’t have a quick response to what I ask you. Therefore, embrace the silence: for it is a
space for gathering ideas and collectively considering the complexity of a situation. Because
issues and questions in writing classes are never simply right vs. wrong/true vs. false, let’s not fear
silence in the classroom, but rather recognize it as beneficial for learning. Silence does not mean you
are incompetent or failing (unless, of course, silence is a result of your not completing the assigned
work—but that’s a whole other matter!). Often, silence simply means we are being honest enough
not to speak yet.
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I’d rather hear a genuine response after a long silence, rather than ten people who don’t
know pretending to know.
At the same time, however, please be brave. If you are naturally shy, please try to break that
routine—and speak out. We want to hear your ideas.
Also important in this class is the act of asking. Asking a question is not a sign of weakness; it is a
sign of wisdom. Remember to regard your classmates as community—instead of competition (That
old capitalist model won’t work here!) No question is dumb and no question is a waste of time.
Even if I don’t know the answer to your question, one of your classmates might. Also, it’s a good
thing to remember that every time a student asks a question, it’s a likely bet that ten other students
are breathing a sigh of relief—because they had that very same question burning in their brain, but
were too shy to ask! In conclusion, each time you ask a question, there is a benefit to more than just
yourself.
Above all else, what I, as a teacher, care most about (I care about this even more than writing!) is
respect. My classroom will be a safe, respectful place. I will not tolerate any sort of hate
language—to be specific, I will not tolerate any language that is sexist, racist, or demeaning toward
LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) people. Hate language may not be used both
verbally or on the page. If anyone has questions about this, or would simply like to talk more about
this subject, please remember my office door is always open to you.
GSW 1110, page 4
WRITING HAPPENS IN A WRITING CLASS
In this course, we will be doing writing during every class meeting. We will be doing a mix of oldfashioned handwriting (in your journal), and also typing on laptops. It’s simple: to learn to be a good
writer, you write. Reading is also a key ingredient to learning to write better, too. In reading, you can
absorb the ways, methods, styles, and ideas of other writers—all of which are essential to becoming
a better writer. I definitely believe that great writers actively model their own writing on the
styles/strategies of other writers they admire.
WRITING CONFERENCES
Because college-level writing can sometimes be frustrating, and because I want to give you
individualized assistance, I’d like you meet with me at least twice during the semester (outside of
class in my office), so I can give you encouragement, tips, and feedback. Also, we will not always “go
over” all the assigned readings during class time (just because we have so much to cover!)…so if you
have any questions about the readings, my office hour is a perfect time to drop by and ask.
ESSAYS
At the end of the semester, your writing portfolio will be judged by other members of the General
Studies Writing staff (following my evaluation of your work). Ultimately, this portfolio evaluation
will determine whether or not you pass GSW 1110.
Therefore, as the semester progresses, please do not throw anything away that is related to
this course. Save everything. Save all drafts of essays and all other writing that you do. At the
end of the semester, I will give you an in-depth explanation about how to compile your
portfolio. All of the 5 major essays (with a rough draft and a final draft for each) must be
present in the portfolio at the end of the semester. Since I will be collecting your essays and
returning them via email, it is your responsibility to print out all your various drafts and final
drafts with my comments on them, because portfolios will be hard-copy and not electronic.
Incomplete portfolios will not be evaluated; students without portfolios will not pass the
course.
Please follow these format requirements for submitting your 5 major papers to me:
 Papers should follow MLA format (refer to A Writer’s Resource for
examples/models/info.). We will discuss MLA format in class.
 All essays must be word-processed, using Microsoft Word (NOT Open Office
or other word-processing software). Please make sure your Microsoft Word is
2007 or newer, and can open and read docx files.
 Your essays will be submitted to me via email attachments. Then, I will return your
essays to you via email.
GSW 1110, page 5
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Essays must be double-spaced, have 1-inch margins all around, and use 12 point
Times New Roman font; pages must be numbered with your last name and page
number in the upper right-hand corner. I will show you how to do this in class.
Your essays must have a creative title, but please don’t include a separate title page
with your papers.
On the day that a “final draft” is due, please do two things. 1) You will email the
paper to me before the deadline. 2) During our class meeting, you will hand in the
following hard-copy items, arranged in the following order:
 A GSW Rubric should be on top (goldenrod color)
 The printed-out assignment sheet should be included next
 The “rough” draft that has my comments on it.
 Please secure these documents with a staple
REVISING YOUR ESSAYS
Knowing how to revise your writing is an important aspect of being a confident academic writer;
therefore, you will be required to write multiple drafts of your papers, and we will work hard on the
development of your revision and editing skills.
One goal of this class is for you to learn to determine when a paper has been revised to the point
where you can confidently submit it as a “final draft.” Sometimes, though, I will pass back final
drafts that are “not passing.” Please be patient. If you should encounter this situation, you may
revise one of your final drafts—you may choose from essays #2, #3, or #4—if you received a “not
passing” grade (unless you have submitted late drafts, which would disqualify you from being able to
submit a revision). Except for Paper #5 (which follows a different timeline), a revision is due
within one week after I return the original essay. I suggest that you take the time to schedule an
extra conference with me if you are working on a revision—I will be able to give you some muchneeded support. The revision should be emailed to me as an attachment along with the previous
commented-on final draft; please also submit the original rubric, as well as with a new blank rubric.
Also, please keep in mind that “revision” does not mean cleaning up errors due to poor editing or
proofreading. Real revision is making changes in content, in your ideas. Of course, if you are
trying to get a paper to the passing level, this may of course include working on editing details like
commas and spelling; but, please remember that “revision” means re-thinking, re-seeing, and reworking ideas, themes, structures, and other large matters.
Lastly, the most important point to make about revisions is this: Please think of my
comments/feedback on first drafts as only a “starting place” for your own thinking on how
to revise. Even if you take every single bit of my advice on a paper, that does not necessarily
guarantee a successful paper. Take your own initiative. Be creative. Trust yourself.
DRAFTS
When you submit a draft to me, it should reflect the best work that you can do at the time. If drafts
appear too sloppy, I won’t read them or give you feedback. I plan on giving you more feedback
on your drafts than on your final drafts, because I want you to learn how to use feedback to
revise.
GSW 1110, page 6
LATE WORK
I do not accept any late work. In some rare cases, I might bend this rule if you have made
previous arrangements with me. I will also not accept work in my department mailbox unless you
have made previous arrangements with me. In addition, I will not be able to read/provide feedback
for any draft that is late. If your rough or final draft of a major paper is late, you will not be allowed
to revise the paper after the final grade is given—and there is a very good chance that your final
grade for that paper will be NP (no pass).
Also, please note that if you miss class, that does not excuse you from submitting any assignments
that are due that day. In high school, you may have been allowed to turn in assignments later due to
absences; however, the requirements in this course (as well as most other college courses) require
you to submit assignments before or by deadline, no matter what. If you get sick or something
disastrous happens, get in contact with me as soon as possible.
ATTENDANCE
Attendance in this class is required. Class-time will be devoted to actively building writing skills by
writing, revising, discussing, critiquing, and collaborating with others. Such activities cannot be
“made up” satisfactorily by getting notes from a friend or by meeting with me. I realize that sickness
and emergencies do occur; should you need to miss class, please be sure to contact me, preferably
beforehand, to discuss what might be done to assist you with getting back on track.
Also, for the purposes of this clarity, the word “attend” means to be physically present as well as
mentally present. If you are napping in class, for example, I will mark you absent for that day. If you
cannot participate due to forgetting books or not completing assignments, you will be marked
absent. I will always let you know (in writing) if you were marked absent for a particular day.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with learning disabilities must present to me their official documentation from the Office
of Disability Services (413 South Hall) during the first two weeks of class so that necessary
arrangements may be made.
ACADEMIC HONESTY/PLAGIARISM
Please refer to BGSU’s current Student Handbook (available online) and to your GSW portfolio
materials for information regarding BGSU’s academic honesty and plagiarism policies.
GSW’S GRADING SYSTEM AND THE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Essay Grades:
There will be five major essays. Essay #1 is meant to be a fun, low-stakes introduction into the
course; therefore, it will not be graded. For essays #2-5, I will collect and comment upon rough
drafts, and I will give them back to you within a week’s time so that you can use my comments as a
starting point for revision. Your rough drafts will not receive a grade.
GSW 1110, page 7
When you submit final drafts of your essays I will provide you with both written comments and a
grade. As well, I will fill out an evaluation chart (called a “rubric”) for each final draft to indicate the
paper’s strengths and weaknesses. The grade for each essay will be a Pass, Almost-Pass, or No-Pass.
You will need to receive at least 2 passing essays by the end of the term in order to be
eligible for the portfolio assessment.
A Passing (P) essay shows good control in all of the categories of the rubric. Although there may
be a few minor problems, the entire essay is generally well-written and clearly and effectively
communicates its ideas.
An Almost-Passing (AP) essay shows a combination of strengths and weaknesses on the rubric.
There is room for improvement in some rubric categories of the essay and the essay does not
consistently communicate its ideas clearly and effectively. An Almost-Pass means the essay is not
passing, but it is getting close to being a passing essay.
A No-Passing (NP) essay shows a serious weakness in at least one category of the rubric, and
other categories may need attention, too. The overall quality of the essay is significantly hindered
because of these weaknesses.
Course Grades:
If your work passes the portfolio assessment at the end of GSW 1110, you will receive an S
(Satisfactory) grade for the course. An S will appear on your transcript, but it will not be calculated
into your grade point average.
The General Studies Writing Program acknowledges that writing is a skill which takes some people
longer than others to master. For these reasons, if your writing is not eligible for the Portfolio
Assessment, or if you have not met my Achievement Requirements Points System (more on that in
a moment), you will receive an NC (No Credit) for GSW 1110. An NC grade allows you to repeat
GSW 1110 without any negative effect upon your GPA.
It is possible to receive a WF (Withdraw Fail) in this course, however. If you should stop attending
this class for any reason without going through the University's official procedure for dropping the
class, you will receive a WF, the grade will appear on your grade report, and an F will be calculated
into your grade point average.
PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT PROCESS
During the last week or two of class, I will let you know whether your essays are eligible for a
portfolio assessment. If your writing has not reached a minimal level of proficiency in GSW 1110 or
if you have not satisfied my Achievement Requirements for this class, your work will not be eligible
for a portfolio assessment. This means that I will not be able to submit your portfolio, and you will
be required to re-enroll in GSW 1110.
Now, it’s pretty easy to know if your essays have reached a minimal level of proficiency. (Ask
yourself: Did I submit all the necessary rough drafts/final drafts for the 5 essays? Did at least 2 of
those essays receive grades of “Passing”?) However, knowing if you’ve met the Achievement
Requirements might seem a bit more confusing. Therefore, in order to determine whether you’ve
met my Achievement Requirements, we will use a separate point system—Achievement
Requirement Points—to help you keep track of this second criterion. Here’s how it will work:
GSW 1110, page 8
Achievement Requirement Points
You each begin with 25 points and must have a minimum of 20 remaining points at the end of the
semester in order to be eligible for portfolio assessment. Ultimately, this point system determines
whether you’ve done the majority of the work expected in this course besides the 5 major papers.
You will lose one point for each of the following:
 missing class (no excused/unexcused distinction; if you’re not in class, you lose a point)
 being marked absent (failing to prepare for a peer review, failing to bring required textbooks
or print-outs, not participating, being tardy and not staying after class to tell me, etc.)
 not passing a reading quiz
 not completing a homework assignment
 not attending the 2 required conferences (one point per missed conference)
I will keep track of when you lose points, but I suggest that you also keep track of these points for
yourself to ensure you are on track.
If I make the judgment that your portfolio is eligible for a portfolio assessment, during the last week
of the semester, your essays will be judged by one or more GSW 1110 instructors in addition to me.
These portfolio evaluators will determine whether your writing has reached proficiency at the 1110
level. Please note that unlike other courses where one or two weak assignments can ensure failure,
GSW’s portfolio assessment allows you to make improvements in your writing and to grow as a
writer. Even if you struggle with an essay or two, as long as your portfolio shows you can write
proficiently at the 1110 level by the end of the term, you can pass this class.
If your portfolio is passed by a first evaluator, you will pass the course. If the first evaluator
determines that your writing, overall, does not demonstrate proficiency at the 1110 level, however,
then that evaluator will not pass your portfolio. At that point, a second evaluator—often a senior
member of the General Studies Writing staff—will evaluate your work, again looking at your writing
as a whole, and will make a final determination regarding whether your writing is proficient enough
to move on to GSW1120 or whether you will need to retake GSW 1110.
Policy for GSW Portfolio Appeals: Students may appeal an instructor's decision not to submit
their portfolios for evaluation if they have evidence that they have met their instructor's achievement
requirements and that they have fulfilled the minimum criteria for passing the course. Likewise,
students may appeal no-passing portfolio assessments if they have reason to believe that the two
evaluators (both of whom are trained, experienced GSW instructors) have overlooked important
evidence that their portfolio, in fact, successfully meets the established criteria for passing the
course. Students should not, however, routinely appeal no-passing portfolios simply because they are
unhappy with their instructor's or the portfolio evaluators' decisions.
Following is the timetable for retrieving portfolio results and for appealing a portfolio decision; please note
that any students wishing to appeal a portfolio decision must adhere to this timetable.
Monday, December 12, 5:00 PM
Deadline for students to appeal an instructor’s decision not to submit a portfolio for assessment.
Thursday, December 15
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Students must pick up their evaluated portfolios during the time period that is designated by their instructor;
this time period is ordinarily after 2:30 PM; near the end of the term, I will let you know exactly when I will
be available in my office on this day to return your portfolio to you.
(NOTE: If you are absolutely unable to retrieve your portfolio and your evaluation results from me at the
designated time, it is your obligation to provide me with a large self-addressed, stamped envelope so I can
mail the evaluated portfolio to you. To determine the proper postage, before submitting your portfolio to me
at the end of the course, please take your portfolio to a post office (such as Stampers on the second floor of
the Student Union) where a postal employee can determine the proper postage to affix to your envelope. You
should provide me with the envelope—with proper postage already on it—when you submit your portfolio
to me.)
Wednesday, December 28, 5:00 PM
Deadline for appealing a non-passing portfolio result.
SUMMARY: REQUIREMENTS FOR PASSING GSW 1110
In summary, to pass GSW 1110 and move forward to GSW 1120, you must meet the following
requirements:
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Submit all written work on time
Write at least two Passing essays (not counting Essay #1, which will not receive a grade).
Maintain at least 20 Achievement Requirement Points by the end of the term
Pass the portfolio assessment at the GSW 1110 level
If you have questions about these achievement requirements, assignments, or other class
matters, please come see me—see me after class, come to my office, email me, whatever—
just let me know. My job is to help you!
I look forward to working with you this semester.
Sincerely,
Heather Anne Trahan
GSW 1110, page 10
GSW 1110 Fall 2011/Schedule of Activities & Assignments
*Please remember: all homework is due by the next class meeting, unless otherwise noted.
*Key: AWR=A Writer’s Resource, SMG=The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing
Week 1
Tuesday, August 23
Introduction
Laptops—logging onto network, logging onto blackboard
Building Our Community
Review: The Paragraph
First-Day Writing Sample
Homework:
 For any technology support (difficulties using laptop, logging onto network, or other general
laptop problems/issues) please go to #110 Hayes Hall to receive tech assistance before our
next class meeting.
 Log onto our class blackboard site and carefully read the entire syllabus. Jot down any
questions you have, and bring this list to class Thursday.
 Purchase required texts and materials. Please bring these to all subsequent class meetings.
 Read “Writing to Learn” in AWR, pages 3-6
 Read “Reading, Thinking, Writing: The Critical Connection” on pp. 21-27 in AWR. As you
read, annotate the text.
Thursday, August 25
Achievement Requirements Highlights/ Q & A
Introduction of Paper #1: “This I Believe”/Q & A
MLA Basics handout discussion
Homework:
 Read “Engaged Reading Practices” handout; posted under blackboard tab “Handouts”
 Compose your “This I Believe Paper”—this is due as a Microsoft Word email attachment to
htrahan@bgsu.edu by the deadline of 1pm, Tuesday, August 30.
Week 2
Tuesday, August 30
Introduction of Paper #2: “Arguing a Position Without Sources”
Thesis PowerPoint
“Mapping Thesis”—define
Group Activity: Composing Thesis Statements/Sharing
Conference Sign-Up
Homework:
 Draft the first 2 paragraphs of Paper #2; Bring 4 hard copies of this to class Thursday
 Read handout (posted to blackboard): “GSW 8 Guidelines for Workshopping”
GSW 1110, page 11
Thursday, September 1
Playing With Language: “Smooth Movement”
Conference Sign-Up
Homework:
 Read in the SMG pages 603-606 and 610-612
 Work on your rough draft of Paper #2. A rough draft of this is due to me by September 13.
Week 3
Tuesday, Sept. 6 and Thursday Sept. 8: “Getting to Know You” Conferences held in my office, East
Hall 339B, instead of regular class meetings. At this meeting, also, you will receive information about
how to craft “counterarguments.”
Homework:
 Read about counterarguments in the SMG, pages 268, 278-279, 284-285, 290
 Read about the art of refutation in the SMG, page 670-671
 Read hard-copy handout you will receive from me during your conference
 Continue to work on your rough draft of Paper #2 (due September 13)
 Bring two hard copies of your rough draft of Paper #2 to class Tuesday for workshopping
Week 4
Tuesday, September 13:
Paper #2 Rough Drafts due electronically (as a Microsoft Word email attachment) by 1pm today.
You will receive your drafts back with my feedback by no later than this Friday, at 10pm. Use my
feedback for revising your paper into a “final draft,” due by September 20.
Playing With Language: “O Reader, My Reader”
Homework:
 Read Chapter 1 of The Writing Life by Annie Dillard (hard-copy handouts distributed during
class today; for those absent today, you can also read this in pdf form, posted to blackboard
under “handouts.”
 Write a list of 1-2 questions about Dillard’s chapter; bring list to class Thursday. (Come up
with questions that you’re really curious about.)
 Continue working on your final draft of Paper #2
 Read handout “How to do an Open Seminar” posted to blackboard
Thursday, September 15:
Journal Writing: What did you think about Dillard’s ethos?
Note: Dillard’s piece is not an academic essay—it’s popular; I’m having you read it for the
message/the ideas, not necessarily as a model of structure.
“Open Seminar” on Chapter 1 of The Writing Life
Homework:
 Final drafts of Paper #2 due Tuesday. Email, as a Microsoft Word attachment, the Final
Draft of your “Arguing a Position Without Sources” to htrahan@bgsu.edu by (or before)
1pm on Tuesday, September 20.
GSW 1110, page 12
 Bring to class the following hard-copy materials. Please staple these together in this
particular order:
o Blank rubric on top (orange-colored; torn out of your student
portfolio), with information filled out at the top of the rubric
o Printed-out assignment sheet for Paper #2
o Printed-out rough draft with my comments on it
Week 5
Tuesday, September 20
Final Drafts of Paper #2 due today by 1pm/Submission of hard-copy materials
Introduction: Paper #3: “Arguing a Position With sources”
Mini-Lecture: Avoiding the Crouton Effect/Handout from They Say I Say
Group Brainstorming
Journal Writing
Homework:
 Begin working on your rough draft of Paper #3
 Read the model of an Arguing a Position With Sources paper by the freshmen Tan Li-Hsu,
“Energy Drinks” (posted to blackboard under handouts).
Thursday, September 22
Distribute 3 Hard-copy handouts: The Art of Paraphrasing, The Art of Quoting, and How to Do
In-Text Citations
MLA Olympics!
Distribute Kingsolver essay
Homework:
 Carefully read the 3 handouts
 Read “How Mr. Dewey Decimal Saved My Life” by Barbara Kingsolver (Note: Kingsolver’s
essay is not an academic essay—it’s a popular one; I’m having you read it for the
message/the ideas, not as a model for structure)
 Craft 2-3 questions about the Kingsolver essay for class Tuesday
Week 6
Tuesday, September 27:
Journal Writing
Rubric Explanation/Discussion
Open Seminar on Kingsolver essay
Homework:
 Bring in 3 hard copies of a partial rough draft (at least one full page) of Paper #3 for
workshopping Thursday
Thursday, September 29:
Playing With Language: “Commas & Dashes”
Homework:
GSW 1110, page 13
 Paper #3 Rough Drafts due electronically by Tuesday, October 4, 1pm. Send via Microsoft
Word email attachment to htrahan@bgsu.edu
 Read pdf handout: “Dashes”
Week 7
Tuesday, October 4
Rough Drafts of Paper #3 due electronically by 1pm today. (You will receive feedback within a
week.)
Paper #4 Introduction
Journal Writing
Discussion: Real vs. Imagined Audiences
Homework:
 Craft a tentative thesis statement for Paper #4; be prepared to share with class on Thursday
(you can just save this to your laptop for Thursday—no need to bring hard copies)
Thursday, October 6
Mini-Lecture: What’s a scholarly (academic) source?
Handout: “Categorizing Sources”
Library/database search Walk-Through
Thesis review; Pairs; Whole-Class Workshop
Homework:
 Begin work on your rough drafts of Paper #4. Rough drafts due by Tuesday, October 25,
1pm.
Week 8
Tuesday, October 11
Fall break/no class
Thursday, October 13
Scholarly sources discussion/workshop
 Bring your 1 chosen scholarly source (or more, if you choose) in regards to Paper #4 to class
with you (either hard-copy or electronic) to class on Tuesday, October 18
 Work on your final drafts of Paper #3. Due by Tuesday, October 18, 1pm.
 Bring to class the following hard-copy materials on Oct. 18; Please staple these together in
this particular order:
o Blank rubric on top (orange-colored; torn out of your student
portfolio), with information filled out at the top of the rubric
o Printed-out assignment sheet for Paper #3
o Printed-out rough draft with my comments on it
Week 9
Tuesday, October 18
Students submit all required hard-copy materials for final draft of Paper #3 by 1pm today; electronic
final drafts due by 1pm also.
GSW 1110, page 14
In-class conferences regarding chosen academic source for Paper #4; writing lab.
Homework:
 Bring 3 hard copies of your rough draft of Paper #4 (at least 2 pages—this doesn’t have to
be the “first” 2 pages of your draft; it could be the middle, the end, etc.)
Thursday, October 20
Playing with Language: Details, Details, Details!
Homework:
 Rough draft of Paper #4 due electronically by Tuesday, 1pm
Week 10
Tuesday, Oct. 25
Rough drafts Paper #4 due, electronically, by 1pm today. You will get feedback in approximately a
week.
Introduce Paper #5
“Peer-for-Peer Conferences” Sign-Up—if you are absent today, please email Mrs. T. so you can sign
up for a conference.
Homework:
 Prepare for your group PFP conference.
 Begin planning/working on Paper #5.
 Bring your full in-progress-draft of Paper #4 to class Nov. 3. (4 hard copies)
Thursday, Oct. 27
Group Conferences instead of regular class meetings: we will meet at Starbucks on campus.
Week 11
Tuesday, Nov. 1
Group Conferences instead of regular class meetings: we will meet at Starbucks on campus.
Thursday, Nov. 3
Playing with Language: “The Case of the Monotonous Sentence”
Homework:
 Bring to next class a partial rough draft of Paper #5
 Final draft of Paper #4 due electronically via email to htrahan@bgsu.edu by 1pm, Nov. 8
 Bring to class the following hard-copy materials on Tuesday, Nov. 8; Please staple these
together in this particular order:
o Blank rubric on top (orange-colored; torn out of your student
portfolio), with information filled out at the top of the rubric
o Printed-out assignment sheet for Paper #4
o Printed-out rough draft with my comments on it
GSW 1110, page 15
Week 12
Tuesday, Nov. 8
Submission of hard-copy materials for Paper #4.
Journal Writing: “Do Over?”
Whole class question-generating for workshop
Workshopping
Homework:
 Bring a full rough draft of Paper #5 (4 hard copies) to class Thursday
Thursday, Nov. 10
Workshopping
Distribute hard-copies of reading homework
Homework:
 Paper #5 rough draft due electronically by Tuesday, Nov. 15, 1pm
 Read essays “A Way of Writing” by William Stafford and “What Corporate America Can’t
Build: A Sentence” by Sam Dillon—prepare 1-2 questions about each of these essays for
Tuesday’s Open Seminar. (Again, these essays are assigned to you because of their ideas;
they are not academic essays—so they aren’t going to be the best models for you to follow in
terms of format, structure, etc.) These will be in pdf form on blackboard under “handouts”
for those who were absent today.
Week 13
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Rough Drafts of Paper #5 due electronically by 1pm
Open Seminar on essays “A Way of Writing” by William Stafford and “What Corporate America
Can’t Build: A Sentence” by Sam Dillon
Freewriting: Gut reactions to silence throughout term during Open Seminars
Homework:
 Work on your final draft of Paper #5
 Revisions of Paper #4 due Thursday
Thursday, Nov. 17
Collect Paper #4 revisions
Journal Writing (“Elbowian freewriting”)
Revision Strategies of Experienced Writers
Brief co-Researchers Meeting
Homework:
 Work on your final draft of Paper #5
 If you submitted a revision of Paper #4, you will receive your grade by Friday, Nov. 18 at
10pm.
GSW 1110, page 16
Week 14
No class meetings this week due to Thanksgiving holiday
Week 15
Tuesday, Nov. 29
Last-minute one-on-one conferences/brainstorming during class for Paper #5/Writing Lab
Homework:
 Final draft of Paper #5 due electronically via email to htrahan@bgsu.edu by 1pm, Dec. 1
 Bring to class the following hard-copy materials on Dec. 1; Please staple these together in
this particular order:
o Blank rubric on top (orange-colored; torn out of your student
portfolio), with information filled out at the top of the rubric
o Printed-out assignment sheet for Paper #5
o Printed-out rough draft with my comments on it
Thursday, Dec. 1
Hard-copy materials for final draft Paper #5 submitted.
Beginning to consider final reflection essay for portfolio
Homework:
 You will receive your graded papers/comments back electronically by Friday, December 2,
before 10pm. Check your email for this notification. At this time, you will also receive
notification whether or not you are eligible for the portfolio process. If you are indeed
eligible, please make sure to bring to class on Tuesday your GSW1110/1110 student
portfolio.
Week 16
Tuesday, December 6
Putting your portfolios together
Student Evaluations Filled Out/Submitted
Thursday, December 8
No regular class meeting; instead, please bring your portfolio to my office, East Hall 339B, during
our normal class time. Note: I will not accept portfolios any later than the deadline of today at
2:15pm. Please do not put portfolios in my mailbox.
Finals Week:
Thursday, December 15:
Please come pick up your portfolio results from my office, between 2:30-3:30pm. If you can’t
be here at this time, please provide me with a large self-addressed stamped envelope with
appropriate postage on it, and I’ll mail you your portfolio.
Happy Holidays!