ENGL 1301.28 Rhetoric & Composition 1 Writing, Reading, & Inquiry Comp Con knockv Farwa Naqvi Spring 2016 Email: husney.naqvi01@utrgv.edu Tuesdays 4:40-7:10 Office: ARHU268 Office Hours: TBA Welcome to our Writers Community! It is nothing without you, and with your active contribution, it is sure to become a safe space full of inquiry and discovery, a place to challenge long-held beliefs and draw individual conclusions. This will be a place where mistakes are celebrated, because only when we do something wrong do we realize how we should do it right (if there even is a right). The goal is to produce not perfect writers as there is no such thing confident writers. Writers and readers confident that, though they are still evolving and will forever, they can manage the challenges of any writing or rhetorical situation. This class is designed to help you become a more effective and confident writer, a more active and engaged reader of complex texts, and a discerning researcher with increased written, visual, oral, and aural literacies. To do this, you will engage in a variety of writing projects that will help you become a more rhetorical writer, one who is better able to compose and revise in order to meet the needs of a given writing situation. We ll use several activities in English 1301 to meet the expectations in the above course description. These activities are going to help you develop effective ways to think critically [CT], communicate rhetorically [COM], learn through teamwork [TW], and take personal responsibility for solving problems and making choices as a reader, researcher, and writer that may have far-reaching consequences [PR]. We'll be investigating and practicing ways to read, write, think, research, reflect, and create, and we'll start with what you know or think you know and build out from there. [CT, COM, PR] We ll be questioning what "good" writing is, what "rhetorical" reading is, what "critical" thinking is, what creating a "composition" involves, and how "meaningful inquiry unfolds. [CT] We'll be building bridges with your reading and writing among your interests, your everyday lives, and the work you do and life you ll build at UTRGV. [CT, PR] We ll be working face to face and online as individuals and as a community of peer responders, giving targeted feedback to one another about your reading, writing, and research this semester. [TW] We ll be working on a single project all semester, one that will challenge you to experiment with a variety of stages, forms, and approaches for effective and compelling writing. [CT, COM]
More about the course This class is a writing studio. We'll read a lot, talk a lot, write about our ideas and other people's ideas, share our writing and feedback in workshops, and revise (which is not editing) a lot. I hope the direction of the class is driven as much by your interests and questions as it is by mine. This course isn t designed to make you a perfect writer by the end of the semester. It is designed to help you become more reflective and thoughtful about your writing, about why and how you write. What we hope to do in the First Year Writing Program at UTRGV is to give you some strategies for dealing with writing tasks and to give you some opportunities to experiment with those strategies and to take some risks in an environment that is encouraging, constructively critical, and ultimately helpful. Hopefully, you ll end up finding that writing can be a way of understanding yourself and others and of communicating ideas in meaningful ways that can have tangible effects on your lives both as an individual and as a part of a larger social group. This is not a course in formal grammar and punctuation. I come here with the understanding that, whether you believe it yourself, you are familiar with the basics from a lifetime of experience, for some of you in two languages. When things like punctuation and syntax start getting in the way of your message, we'll take time to talk about writing in those ways. And until the end of the semester, your peer workshops won t address things like spelling and punctuation either. We will spend most of our time working on your ideas and how you express them, which involves the style of your language as well. Polishing your writing and articulation will happen later, when you and I are both ready for it, and when that happens I ll support your further development as an editor. You will need: 1. A reliable computer with Internet access 2. Access to a printer and stapler for physical submissions 3. A willingness to use your UTRGV email and Blackboard on a daily basis 4. A process and habit for backing up all of your work 5. A place to keep all physical drafts/feedback of your work 6. A personal desire to succeed and active and enthusiastic participation Assignments & Assessment Requirements We will obviously not be reading a thousand books, but my experience has led me to believe this to be accurate, so we will be reading quite a bit. Maybe your experience has been different. That would be a great place to start exploring your writing process, specifically the first assignment your literacy autobiography. Throughout the semester we will be investigating each of our individual writing processes and the factors that have and continue to shape it. Some of this will be done through readings I will assign and make available online. The class is expected to blossom organically, so dates and assignments are not set in stone. If students need more or less focus on a particular assignment or topic, we 2
will adjust our work as need. You must, through some method, ensure that you are up to date with class assignments and readings. Stay in the loop. The best way to do this is to be present in class, to check your email and blackboard daily, and to build relationships with your peers in our Writers Community who can fill you in if necessary. I will be available via email and during office hours, but I should not be your only point of contact. The burden of responsibility falls upon you. YOU are responsible for knowing what is happening, what is expected, and how to get it done. If you do not know, ask. Readings The following is a chronological list of the readings we ll use. They are in MLA format because that is one format I use in the discipline of rhetoric and composition. Lately, APA is required more, but we ll talk about citation guidelines later in the semester. Feel free to copy the citations if you use these sources and MLA. If your major requires APA or Chicago, it s a good time to get familiar with the relevant citation guidelines for your intended discipline. Downs, Douglas, and Elizabeth Wardle. Teaching about Writing, Righting Misconceptions: (Re)Envisioning First-Year Composition as Introduction to Writing Studies. CCC 58.4 (2007): 552-84. Web. 6 Apr. 2014. <http://courses.carrielamanna.com/readings/downs-wardle-2007.pdf>. Diaz, Kelsey. Seven Ways High School Prepares You for Failure. Writing about Writing: A College Reader. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, 2011. 706-11. Haas, Christina, and Linda Flower. Rhetorical Reading Strategies and the Construction of Meaning. CCC 39.2 (1988): 167-83. Rose, Mike. Rigid Rules, Inflexible Plans, and the Stifling of Language: A Cognitivist Analysis of Writer s Block. College Composition and Communication 31.4 (1980): 389-401. Gillam, Alice M. Research in the Classroom: Learning through Response. The English Journal 79.1 (1990): 98-99. Neubert, Gloria A., and Sally J. McNelis. Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestions. The English Journal 79.5 (1990): 52-56. Lamott, Anne. Shitty First Drafts. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor, 1995. Neubert, Gloria A., and Sally J. McNelis. Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestions. The English Journal 79.5 (1990): 52-56. Sommers, Nancy. Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers College Composition and Communication 31.4 (1980): 378-88. Kantz, Margaret. Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively. College English 52.1 (1990): 74-91. An essay is a quasiscientific experiment to discern the limits of one s knowledge. Phillip Lopate Portfolio 1 Project in 5 Stages 50% Stage 1: Composing a literacy autobiography Stage 2: Designing a meaningful question for inquiry Stage 3: Theorizing and writing an argument Stage 4: Going public with rhetorical analysis and document design Stage 5: Composing a reflection on your rhetorical work this semester 3
Your final portfolio will contain all your work, from first drafts to polished and finished versions, for each stage. Above is a list of the major projects you ll complete over the course of the semester for your portfolio. All of these assignments build on one another, so you won t be creating something from nothing. We'll discuss each in detail as we move through the semester. You will be re-seeing (re-vision), re-thinking, and re-writing parts or all of every major piece of writing I read from you this semester. As you write and re-write your work, you will need to keep track of the feedback you receive, the revision and editing changes you make, and each successive draft. I suggest you do this by either using track changes in your writing software of choice or by manually highlighting and writing explanatory notes on each draft. You will have every opportunity to revise your writings based on the comments that you get from me, your classmates, and Writing Center tutors (if you choose to see one) throughout the semester, and I will comment on them as many times as you are willing to keep working on them up until our final meeting (though I cannot guarantee a quick turn-around with my feedback during the last week of class). One of my main goals when I teach writing is to help you develop a sense that your writing is a work in progress. To try to make this as seamless as possible, all of your work should contain standard MLA format headings and each assignment should include a title, even if it s only a placeholder until you can come up with a really great one. We will discuss the specifics of this in class, but as always, if for some reason it is something you do not know how to do by the time you need to do it ask someone. This uniformity will help you compile your final portfolio which should include all drafts to ensure understanding of the revision process. The revision process is one of the most IMPORTANT and OVERLOOKED aspects of writing. A good writer never stops revising. Not editing that never stops either but, revising. We will spend time talking about the distinction between these two concepts. My advice? Save everything until the end of the semester. You can do this in a binder, a bag, a box, a folder, a usb, the floor of your room, the fridge...but, keeping all materials for this class will ensure less stressful end of semester project. You ll thank me. You re welcome. Global Inquiry 10% Going along with the theme of inquiry, you will be required to explore the University Writing Center. In this endeavor, you will visit this resource, gather pertinent information, and report your findings back to me in writing. This will be one of the creative writing aspects of the class. It will also be an opportunity to make rhetorical choices and experiment with genres outside the academic realm in order to best convey what you have learned. 4
Attendance and Participation 40% Be in class, be on time, be prepared, and be involved with whatever we're working on; it's worth a big chunk of your grade, and there will be daily writing and interaction that simply can t be made up. If you do miss in-class time, ensure you are caught up by the next class meeting and/or assignment. Do not expect extra time because you were absent or late. You are expected to take responsibility and ensure you do not fall behind due to being absent or late. It is your responsibility to ensure you are in the loop. Our time together should not be about grades. It should be about genuine learning and growth. But, I must assign grades. I will do so as follows: GRADES 90-100% of Total: A 80-89% of Total: B 70-79% of Total: C Global Inquiry 10% GRADE BREAKDOWN 60-69% of Total: D 0-59% of Total: F Portfolio 50% Because your course grade depends heavily on the quality of your final portfolio, it is difficult to estimate your course grade throughout the semester. But if you d like to get a better idea of where you are grade-wise at any point during the semester, set up a time to meet with me. There is no need for you to be surprised by your final course grade even though I do not put grades on individual projects. It is your responsibility to keep up with this and to set up a meeting if you re curious or concerned and it is important that you not wait until the end of the semester to start asking about grades as it may be too late at that point for you to do what needs to be done to significantly raise your overall course grade. Writers' Community Involvement 40% Inquiry and research are about pursuing unanswered questions. ~Colin Charlton 5
Interrelated Goals for English 1301 The information in this section explains our English 1301 course goals what different groups of people (at different levels of the university) want you to get out of the class. It's a lot of information that may make your head spin at the beginning of the semester. Read it and see what you think. Background for the Interrelated Objectives and Outcomes for the Writing Program To ensure consistency in instructional approaches throughout Texas public institutions, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board defines objectives for all courses required in a university s core curriculum. Individual courses have outcomes that reflect accepted theories, content, and practice in that discipline. In addition, all UTRGV major programs of study have outcomes which promote consistency and accountability in the preparation of majors. This section of your syllabus demonstrates the alignment of these various sets of outcomes and how they specifically play out in writing program courses. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Student Learning Outcomes for Communication English 1301 and 1302 are in the communication area of UTRGV s core curriculum. Courses in this area focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses also involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience. The following four student learning outcomes should be met in each course approved to fulfill this category requirement: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Critical Thinking (CT). Students will demonstrate comprehension of a variety of written texts and other information sources by analyzing and evaluating the logic, validity, and relevance of the information in them to solve challenging problems, to arrive at well-reasoned conclusions, and to develop and explore new questions. Communication skills (COM). Students will demonstrate the ability to adapt their communications to a particular context, audience, and purpose using language, genre conventions, and sources appropriate to a specific discipline and/ or communication task. Teamwork (TW). Students will collaborate effectively with others to solve problems and complete projects while demonstrating respect for a diversity of perspectives. Personal responsibility (PR). Students will demonstrate an awareness of the range of human values and beliefs that they draw upon to connect choices, actions, and consequences to ethical decision-making. Student Learning Outcomes for the First Year Writing Program Sequence The following statements describe what we want our students to know, think/value, and do when they finish the First Year Writing Program and successfully complete 1302 with a "C" or better. The student improves his/her writing by engaging in processes of inventing, drafting, organizing, revising, editing, and presentation (CT, COM, PR). The student writes with a purpose and composes texts in genres appropriate to his/her purpose and audience (CT, COM) The student productively interacts with his/her peers, engaging in small group activities regularly and in which students give one another feedback on their writing (COM, TW, PR). The student thinks critically about his/her position in the context of a larger ongoing conversation about the issue he/she is investigating (CT, COM, PR). The student is aware of the choices that writers have to make and feels confident in his/her ability to use that awareness to engage in a variety of future writing tasks (CT, COM). The student finds, evaluates, and uses appropriate sources for research (CT, COM, PR). The student meaningfully integrates and correctly documents information from sources (CT, COM, TW) 6
The student is aware of the ways technology affects writing (CT, COM). Course Goals for English 1301 English 1301 is designed to help students: see that writing is an opportunity for learning (CT, COM; WPSLO 1-8); develop an understanding of writing as an interactive and recursive process (CT, COM; WPSLO 1, 3); become reflective writers, aware of the rhetorical choices writers make (CT, COM, PR; WPSLO 2, 5-8); identify their own purposes for writing (CT, PR; WPSLO 2); develop their abilities to write in a variety of genres appropriate for their audience and purpose (CT, COM; WPSLO 2); become actively engaged readers, able to use multiple reading strategies for a variety of complex texts, including their own (CT, COM; WPSLO 4, 6); learn how to interact productively with their peers throughout the writing process (CT, COM, TW; WPSLO 3); know how to use various types of feedback (teacher, peer, self-assessment) to revise their texts effectively (CT, COM, PR; WPSLO 1, 3); gain more confidence in their abilities to engage in future writing tasks successfully (PR; WPSLO 5); use technology in their writing in rhetorically effective ways (CT, COM; WPSLO 8); learn about and effectively use the conventions of writing that govern a given writing situation (CT, COM; WPSLO 2, 5); and understand the rhetorical implications of writing style and grammatical conventions for a given writing situation (CT, COM; WPSLO 1, 5). And by the way, everything in life is writeable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst ENEMY to creativity is SELF DOUBT. Sylvia Plath 7
UTRGV Boilerplate If you have a documented disability (physical, psychological, learning, or other disability which affects your academic performance) and would like to receive academic accommodations, please inform your instructor and contact Student Accessibility Services to schedule an appointment to initiate services. It is recommended that you schedule an appointment with Student Accessibility Services before classes start. However, accommodations can be provided at any time. Brownsville Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in Cortez Hall Room 129 and can be contacted by phone at (956) 882-7374 (Voice) or via email at accessibility@utrgv.edu. Edinburg Campus: Student Accessibility Services is located in 108 University Center and can be contacted by phone at (956) 665-7005 (Voice), (956) 665-3840 (Fax), or via email at accessibility@utrgv.edu. Students are required to complete an ONLINE evaluation of this course, accessed through your UTRGV account (http:// my.utrgv.edu); you will be contacted through email with further instructions. Online evaluations will be available Nov. 18 Dec. 9, 2015. Students who complete their evaluations will have priority access to their grades. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and may be dropped from the course for excessive absences. UTRGV s attendance policy excuses students from attending class if they are participating in officially sponsored university activities, such as athletics; for observance of religious holy days; or for military service. Students should contact the instructor in advance of the excused absence and arrange to make up missed work or examinations. As members of a community dedicated to Honesty, Integrity and Respect, students are reminded that those who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to: cheating, plagiarism, and collusion; submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person; taking an examination for another person; any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student; or the attempt to commit such acts. Since scholastic dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced (Board of Regents Rules and Regulations and UTRGV Academic Integrity Guidelines). All scholastic dishonesty incidents will be reported to the Dean of Students. In accordance with UT System regulations, your instructor is a responsible employee for reporting purposes under Title IX regulations and so must report any instance, occurring during a student s time in college, of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence, or sexual harassment about which she/he becomes aware during this course through writing, discussion, or personal disclosure. More information can be found at www.utrgv.edu/equity, including confidential resources available on campus. The faculty and staff of UTRGV actively strive to provide a learning, working, and living environment that promotes personal integrity, civility, and mutual respect in an environment free from sexual misconduct and discrimination. According to UTRGV policy, students may drop any class without penalty earning a grade of DR until the official drop date. Following that date, students must be assigned a letter grade and can no longer drop the class. Students considering dropping the class should be aware of the 3-peat rule and the 6-drop rule so they can recognize how dropped classes may affect their academic success. The 6-drop rule refers to Texas law that dictates that undergraduate students may not drop more than six courses during their undergraduate career. Courses dropped at other Texas public higher education institutions will count toward the six-course drop limit. The 3-peat rule refers to additional fees charged to students who take the same class for the third time. January 19 February 3 March 14-18 April 13 May 5 May 6-12 Classes Begin Census Day Spring Break Drop/Withdrawal Deadline Study Day Final Exams 8