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ENGLISH 101-O: COLLEGE WRITING 1
Instructor:
Email:
Phone:
Office:
Office Hours:
SPRING 2013
Dr. Risa Applegarth
Risa_Applegarth@uncg.edu; DrApplegarth@gmail.com
336-334-3967
MHRA 3108
Tuesdays 11am to 1pm; Wednesdays 2pm to 3pm
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION1
English 101 satisfies three of the six hours of the Reasoning and Discourse (GRD) requirement at
UNCG, which asserts that students “gain skills in intellectual discourse, including constructing
cogent arguments, locating, synthesizing and analyzing documents, and writing and speaking clearly,
coherently, and effectively”
(http://web.uncg.edu/reg/Bulletin/Current/UnivReq/GECDescription.aspx).
In addition, English 101 is designed to meet Learning Goal #1 (LG1) in the UNCG General
Education Program. This is the ability to “think critically, communicate effectively, and develop
appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.”
(http://web.uncg.edu/reg/Bulletin/Current/UnivReq/GECProgram.aspx)
The following are English 101 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), each of which corresponds to
both the GRD goals and to LG1:
English 101 Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Analyze the content and structure of complex texts (written, oral, and/or visual in nature);
2. Compose cogent, evidence-based, argumentative texts;
3. Identify and employ the rhetorical triangle, the canons, and the appeals in both formal and
informal discourse;
4. Summarize, quote, paraphrase, and synthesize source material in support of an argument;
5. Employ drafting, peer review, and revision techniques in order to improve content, style,
and structure of their own writing;
6. Appraise their own composing abilities and composing processes through critical reflection.
Unit Overviews
Unit 1: Processes of Writing, Rhetoric, Researching, and Technology (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,)
In the first unit, we will learn about the upcoming semester and the course’s policies and schedule as
well as get to know each other. The first unit focuses on the interrelationship between our mental
and physical processes and practices when writing, so we will be reading about how others conceive
of those processes and reflect on how we individually read, think, and write. We will engage in
analytical reading, writing, and communicating in order to conceive of, draft, and revise an argument
paper. We will come to understand rhetorical concepts and the means by which they operate in
writing. We will review paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting sources and MLA citation practices.
We will work through the Blackboard instructional software, email, and Google Sites so that each of
you will respond to others’ writings and receive multiple responses to your writing to aid your
revisions.
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English 101 is one course with multiple sections. To ensure consistency across sections, the composition program has instituted
certain common policies and requirements. This web-based course meets all the requirements shared across sections of English 101.
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Unit 2: Environmental Rhetoric (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6,)
In this unit, you'll chose an environmental organization--preferably one that works locally or
regionally, like the Piedmont Land Conservancy or the North Carolina Audubon Society--and will
analyze the communication strategies this organization uses to influence a community's attitudes and
actions related to an environmental issue. You'll then imagine ways your organization could improve
its rhetorical strategies to be more effective in your particular community. In your final project for
this unit, you will compose and revise a memo designed to persuade that organization to adopt some
of your suggestions. The research, writing, and revision activities you will complete in this unit will
strengthen your knowledge of and facility with rhetorical appeals, audience awareness, and analytical
and persuasive writing.
Unit 3: Autobiographical Arguments (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6,)
Contrary to popular belief, autobiographical arguments are not just the "true" and "non-fictional"
accounts of an individual's life. Autobiographical arguments are actually much more complicated
than that, and they are used in many different ways in a variety of disparate texts to build ethos.
During this unit, we will learn about the anatomy of autobiographical arguments, the ways that
autobiography is constructed according to different rhetorical situations, and the work that these
arguments have on the message and audience. After examining a variety of texts and mediums, you
will create your own autobiographical argument.
Unit 4: Style and Your Writing Portfolio (SLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
The concluding unit asks you to analyze your writing style. You will experiment with and revise your
writing toward a more sophisticated and diverse syntax; you will select, collect, and revise the texts
that you have written across the semester for a portfolio that demonstrates your writing
development and learning; and you will reflect on your processes of reading, researching, thinking,
and writing in relation to the texts in the portfolio.
II. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
You have one required text for this course, Rhetorical Approaches To College Writing (ISBN 978-0-73805304-2). You can purchase this from the UNCG bookstore. All other readings are attached in
Blackboard unless tied to your individual research.
ASSESSMENT
There are four units in this course that equal to 500 points and 100% of the course grade.
Unit 1 on Processes of Writing, Rhetoric, Research, Tech
20%
Unit 2 on Environmental Rhetoric
20%
Unit 3 on Autobiographical Arguments
20%
Unit 4 on Style and Your Writing Portfolio
40%
(Unit 4 breaks out as Style = 100 points/20 % and Portfolio = 100 points/20%)
The units consist of 100 points with the following grading breakdown:
95-100 A
87-89 B+
77-79 C+
67-69 D+
59-0 F
90-94 A83-86 B
73-76 C
63-66 D
80-82 B70-72 C60-62 DThe Final Writing Portfolio (100 points) for each student is graded with the UNCG Composition
Program’s Holistic Grading Rubric (See Blackboard: Course Documents).
Each unit’s 100 points break out as follows and includes both in-class and online environments:
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Discussion postings and replies
20 points
Activities and exercises
20 points
Culminating project activities
20 points
(inventing approaches, giving and receiving response to drafts, revision, and reflecting piece)
Final written product of culminating project
40 points
Within each unit, you will do readings, Blackboard discussion boards, activities, and a larger
culminating project that you have drafted, revised, and reflected on. You must complete and submit
all assignments to receive a course grade.
Each unit is divided into weeks and all work each week is due by 7pm every Tuesday evening
unless otherwise stated. You may submit work early, and I suggest that you submit it as you
complete it because Blackboard can go “down” or be unavailable because of occasional upgrades.
Late work will lower your course grade; missing work will result quickly in a student failing this
course. I will accept late work for the first 48 hours after the deadline. Anything submitted in that 48
hour window will be graded and will lose half the points assigned. After that 48 hour window, the
work can no longer be submitted, and a grade of 0 will be recorded for the assignment.
You will be submitting a final writing portfolio through Google.Sites (see Course Documents in
Blackboard for information on this). It must be in final form for grading no later than 11:59 pm on
Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (the last day of the semester). The printed version of your online portfolio
must be delivered to me no later than noon Wednesday, May 1, 2013 (Reading Day). In addition, to
receive your course grade, you must also do the departmental course evaluation. All three
requirements must be met for you to receive your course grade.
Regular Assignments in Each Unit
Readings
The readings for each unit are either from Rhetorical Approaches to College Writing or attached in
Blackboard in the unit and week that you need to read them. You can always work ahead. Many of
the readings are directly connected to the discussion boards and the activities.
Blackboard Discussion Boards
You will be engaging in Discussion Boards on Blackboard. This requires both an initial posting and
multiple responses (See Discussion Board directions in Course Documents). Specific prompts for
each Discussion Board assignment can be found in the unit and week that it is due. The writing and
responding you compose and exchange in the Discussion Board attempts to replace the classroom
interactions that would typically be part of a face-to-face course; please use these assignments as an
opportunity to engage with your classmates and with the course material.
PowerPoint Presentations
These offer essential instruction in the concepts and strategies of each unit. They are related to the
readings and to all of the other work you will do in the unit. In addition these presentations build
across the semester, meaning that the information will be needed from the point you learn about it
until the end of the semester.
Activities
You will be engaging in multiple activities that will be submitted through Blackboard. Recognize that
you will need time to do these in conjunction with the readings, PowerPoints, and discussion board
assignments. They will take time, so plan ahead so that you do not miss deadlines.
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Synchronous Online Writing Conferences
Although nearly all your work for this course is completed asynchronously, at several points
throughout the semester you will be asked to communicate with me synchronously—in real-time—
about your writing. We will conduct these conferences through Google Chat and over the phone.
You will also be asked to conduct at least one online writing conference with the UNCG Writing
Center. These required contacts are embedded in the unit instructions.
Culminating Writing Assignment
Each unit concludes with you doing a research and writing project tied to the focus of the unit.
Before submitting this writing project for grading, every culminating assignment requires generating
ideas, drafting, revising, reflecting on the entire process, and getting a response from your classmates
in order to focus and revise effectively. These final writing projects may take several forms that are
not only text based but also include sound and image.
III. Policies
Late Work
As stated above, late work will seriously impact your course grade. I will accept late work for the
first 48 hours after the deadline. Anything submitted in that 48 hour window will be graded and will
lose half the points assigned. After that 48 hour window, the work can no longer be submitted, and
a grade of 0 will be recorded for the assignment. This policy holds for major writing assignments as
well as for Discussion Board posts, responses to classmates’ work, writing and research activities,
and so on. ALL coursework must be completed within the course deadlines; no one may complete
the full semester’s worth of assignments only in the final weeks of the semester.
Class Attendance
Because this is a web-based course, your work will be completed asynchronously—not-at-the-sametime—meaning you may complete your work at whatever times your schedule permits, provided
that you meet every deadline. There will be occasional synchronous requirements: you will schedule
a writing conference with me, which we will conduct over Google Chat and/or over the phone at a
prearranged time.
Removal From Course For Failure To Complete Assignments
Because this course requires that students work independently, respond to each other’s writing and
Discussion Board posts, and complete work in a timely fashion to meet weekly (and sometimes
daily) deadlines, every student must meet course deadlines in order to avoid being withdrawn
from the course. You may work at your own pace only within the routine and frequent deadlines of
the course. You may not complete work at the end of the semester that was due throughout the
semester; you may not submit work in Week 2 that was due in Week 1, and you may not submit
work in Week 13 that was due in Week 5.
January 18, 2013 is the last day to withdraw from a course and receive a refund on tuition and fees. I
urge you to withdraw from the course by this date if you are having difficulty with the independent
and online nature of the course. Friday, March 8, 2013 is the last day to withdraw from a course
without academic penalty. Any student who has submitted no work by the end of the third week of
the semester (up to Tuesday, Feb. 5) will be dropped from the course. Any student who fails to
submit all their assignments for any four weeks throughout the semester may be dropped from the
course. This means that if you submit some but not all of your required work for any four weeks across
the semester, you may be dropped from the course. If this occurs before March 8, you will receive a
grade of W on your transcript; if this occurs after March 8, you will receive a grade of WF on your
transcript.
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End of Semester
As stated above, you will be submitting a final writing portfolio through Google.Sites (see Course
Documents in Blackboard for information on this). It must be in final form for grading no later than
11:59 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013 (the last day of the semester). The printed version of your
online portfolio must be delivered to me (via regular mail or delivered by hand to my office, MHRA
3108) no later than noon Wednesday, May 1, 2013 (Reading Day). In addition, to receive your
course grade, you must also do the departmental course evaluation. All three requirements must be
met for you to receive your course grade.
Your course evaluation is handled through a third party, and I cannot see it until I have posted
grades for the entire class.
Academic Integrity
Violations of academic integrity are serious academic offenses that will not be tolerated in this class.
I expect every student to review the guidelines and list of violations at
http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu and to abide by the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy, which
states: “Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty,
trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism,
misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to
be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit
and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution
and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG's “Academic Integrity Policy”). As you will see, violations
include but are not limited to plagiarism.
A person commits plagiarism when he or she represents someone else's words or ideas as his or her
own. In all your work for all your courses, you must take care to avoid plagiarizing the words or
ideas of others. When you use sources such as books, web pages, articles, or primary documents in
your writing, you must identify them to your reader. If you quote a source directly, you must put the
borrowed material in quotation marks and include a proper citation. If you take an idea from
another source but put it in your own words (i.e. paraphrase it), you must still give proper credit to
the source. Please use MLA style documentation to document any sources used in written work,
unless I have asked you to use another documentation style. Be scrupulous about documenting,
quoting, and citing your sources even in first drafts. A draft that has been read by your instructor or
classmates has not been ‘checked’ and given the okay; it is always your responsibility to make sure
you understand and have successfully followed rules of citation and documentation in all your
writing.
All suspected violations of the academic integrity policy will be reported to the Dean of Students,
and proven violations will result in serious repercussions. In my classes, a single violation of
academic integrity is grounds for failure of the entire course. Repeated offenses can cause you to be
expelled from the University. You can avoid these consequences by 1. never deliberately misleading
your instructors or being dishonest in your writing, and 2. asking for clarification about any rules or
standards for source-use that you do not understand. If you are ever unsure about how to cite a
source or whether an act would be considered plagiarism, please ask me about it before you turn in
your work.
Behavior and Language
In addition to academic integrity, the exchange of ideas in civil communication requires a respect for
others. Sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise hate-based language and behavior is not excusable
and will not be tolerated. See policies on hazing, disruptive behavior, and various forms of
discrimination at <http://deanofstudents.uncg.edu/policy/>.
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IV. Resources
The Writing Center
The purpose of the Writing Center (http://www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/) is to enhance the
confidence and competence of student writers by providing free, individual assistance at any stage of
any writing project. Staff consultants are experienced writers and alert readers, prepared to offer
feedback and suggestions on drafts of papers, help students find answers to their questions about
writing, and provide one-on-one instruction as needed. You may schedule writing conferences either
by email (askthewc@uncg.edu) or phone (336.334.3125) as well as just walk in during their open
hours (see website link above). If you would like to use the Writing Center online facilities, please
understand that they are limited, so the consultants would appreciate it if you made an appointment
in advance.
The Digital Media Commons (DMC)
On 20 August 2012, the new Digital Media Commons (DMC) opened in the lower level of Jackson
Library. This is a great new resource for students as you engage with the Blackboard technology and
take on multimedia projects and assignments in this course. The DMC offers hands-on assistance,
consults with students on digital projects, and offers access to the essential tools for creating digital
resources such as web pages, digital images, digital video, digital audio, PowerPoint presentations,
and more. The DMC provides expert staff from the University Libraries, digital literacy consultants
from the Undergraduate Studies' Multilteracy Centers Program, and graduate assistants from the
Media Studies and Library and Information Sciences departments.
Other Types of Support
Please see the Course Documents folder in Blackboard for additional resources tied to writing and
technology.
Accommodations
Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to consult with me about
accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe that you could benefit from such
accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus. To be
clear, you must register with the Office of Disability before such accommodations can be made. The
office is located on the second floor of the Elliot University Center (EUC) in Suite 215. The office
may be reached by email at ods@uncg.edu.