LAPS/WRIT 1700 9.0 A (SU) Writing: Process and Practice
**Please Note: This is a blended course. The lecture materials will be delivered
online via Moodle; the tutorials will be delivered “face-to-face”. Although
allowing more flexibility, blended and online courses do require students to
utilize the same time-management skills needed in traditional courses in order to
fully engage online materials outside of the traditional classroom**
Course Moodle Site: http://moodle.yorku.ca/moodle
Term: Summer 2014 (SU 14)
Course Director: Kerry Doyle
Tutorial Instructors: TBA
Class Times & Locations
Lectures: Tuesdays & Fridays via Course Moodle Site
Tutorial 1: Mondays & Thursdays 1-3pm R S136
Tutorial 2. Mondays & Thursdays 7-9pm R S136
Tutorial 3: Mondays & Thursdays 7-9pm R S133
Calendar Course Description:
This course considers a wide range of written expression including fiction,
nonfiction, poetry and other genres, with an emphasis on the theory and practice
of writing. Note: This course has been approved in the Faculty of Liberal Arts &
Professional Studies for general education credit.
Course credit exclusion: AP/WRIT 1980 9.00 (prior to Fall 2012). PRIOR TO
FALL 2009: Course credit exclusion: AS/EN 1980 9.00.
Further course information, including the weekly reading schedule
and assignments, will be posted on the course Moodle site. Students
enrolled in the course will be notified when the Moodle site is opens.
Please be sure to update your email address in your Moodle Profile so
it matches the one you currently use.
Organization of Course: This is a blended course for which the2-hour lectures
will be online (via Moodle) and the 2-hour tutorials will be face-to-face (or “live”)
as in a traditional course. For the Summer 2014 session, each week of term there
will be two weekly lectures and two tutorial meetings.
Lecture material will consist of segmented audio lectures, interactive exercises
and a variety of materials from Internet sources, such online videos, social media
sources, news items, articles and supplemental readings. Any assigned readings
should be completed before access lectures so that the connections between
readings and lecture material are clear. Furthermore, lecture material will form
the basis of in-class discussion and writing, so it is important to engage the
lecture material before the relevant tutorials, just as you would in a traditional
course.
Tutorials will provide a place for students and instructors to discuss course
readings and lecture materials and to practice the variety of writing processes the
course will explore. Active participation and collaboration in tutorials is an
essential way to develop critical skills, practice writing strategies, and explore
concrete and creative methods of writing.
Course Learning Objectives
Students will be developing skills in order to:











Apply critical thinking skills in a variety of contexts: academic, social,
cultural
Critically examine theories of writing and composition
Recognize and explain how rhetorical strategies and generic conventions
and
counter-conventions effect their interpretation of texts
Develop persuasive argumentation skills, both written and oral
Critically consider the relationship between language use and power
Practice a range of critical and creative writing activities, such as academic
writing, “life writing,” writing for social medias
Produce work appropriate to the genre and context of writing assignments,
with a special emphasis on writing clearly and persuasively
Explain and support their analyses of textual practices
Collaborate with peers in a variety of ways, including both face-to-face (inclass) and online, in order to draft, develop and produce various written
texts
Constructively and critically examine and discuss peers’ writing
Be cognizant of their own writing strategies and critical expertise
Required Reading:





Gerald Graff & Cathy Birkenstein, They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter
in Academic Writing 3rd Edition. Also available as an eBook.
David Shields, Reality Hunger: A Manifesto
David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas
A variety of other required readings will be available on or via the course
Moodle site and will be listed in the Weekly Reading Schedule
SPARK: Student Papers & Academic Research Kit (specific modules)
http://www.yorku.ca/spark/index.html
Useful Writing Resources:
Writing Centre Support
The Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies offers individual writing
tutoring for students wishing to improve their critical thinking, reading, and
writing abilities. To enroll, go to:www.yorku.ca/laps/writ/centre
You will be assigned an individual tutor and will then be able to book
appointments online.
The Writing Centre eTutor:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/writ/centre/etutor.html
ESL Open Learning Centre Main Page:
http://www.yorku.ca/eslolc/keele/default.asp
The Learning Commons Main Page:
http://www.library.yorku.ca/cms/learning-commons/
The Writing Department Writing Resources Page:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/writ/resources.html
Evaluation: TBA
Required Online Tutorials: For this course, you will be asked to complete the
Academic Integrity Tutorial and the Web Research Tutorial, both of which are
online. Although you may complete these tutorials before hand, some time will be
made during the online lecture Friday, May 16th for you to access and complete
one tutorial, so you should also allow yourself time to complete the second
tutorial.
At the end of each on-line tutorial, you will be asked to enter your library card
number and your tutorial number to register that you have completed the online
tutorial. You can then scan or take a screen shot of the completion page
and upload it to your tutorial Moodle site.
Please Note: you must receive 100% on each quiz.
The Academic Integrity Tutorial features York’s policy and procedures on
academic honesty. The tutorial includes a self-test that allows you to gauge how
well you understand the issues covered. The tutorial and quiz can be completed in
30-40 minutes.
The links below will also be provided on our Moodle site
Online Tutorials for Students
The York University Libraries are pleased to offer these online tutorials for
students. Each tutorial includes a self-test allowing students to gauge their
understanding of the topic.
• The Academic Integrity Tutorial
http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/ The Academic
Integrity Tutorial is designed to help you learn about issues of academic
integrity. It explores plagiarism and related matters with case examples
and positive strategies you can use to improve your academic efforts and
avoid committing an academic offense as outlined in York's Senate Policy
on Academic Honesty. This tutorial takes about 30-40 minutes to
complete.
• The Web Research Tutorial
http://www.yorku.ca/webclass/
The Web
Research Tutorial helps you to learn more about how to use publiclyaccessible web sites for research, from understanding what kind of
information is freely available on the web to what kinds of search tools and
techniques will help you get useful results, and how to critically evaluate
and properly document what you find.
• Students may also be asked to complete The Library Research
Roadmap http://info.library.yorku.ca/guides/roadmap/ The Library
Research Roadmap is a self-paced tutorial designed to lead you through
the steps of the bibliographic research process in preparation for writing
an essay in the social sciences or humanities. This tutorial takes about 2030 minutes to complete.
Grading: The grading scheme for the course conforms to the 9-point grading system
used in undergraduate programs at York (e.g., A+ = 9, A = 8, B+ - 7, C+ = 5, etc.).
Assignments and tests* will bear either a letter grade designation or a
corresponding number grade (e.g. A+ = 90 to 100, A = 80 to 90, B+ = 75 to 79, etc.)
(For a full description of York grading system see the York University
Undergraduate Calendar - http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/20102011/academic/index.htm
Important Information for all York Students:
Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=202
Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=68
York's Academic Honesty Policy:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=69
Important University Sessional Dates (you will find classes and exams start/end
dates, reading/co-curricular week, add/drop deadlines, holidays, University
closings and more: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates/index.htm