English 0101-024 (Paired with Introduction to Psychology 101-009)
Professor Beth Ann Rothermel
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-4:30, and by appointment. Bates 213, #572-5336.
E-mail: brothermel@foma.wsc.ma.edu
Meeting place and times: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-2:45, Bates 210
Required Texts and Supplies:
Welcome!
General Course Description: An intensive course in writing. This course will provide instruction and practice in the processes of composing essays, including planning, drafting, revising and editing. It will cover rhetoric, research methods, critical reading of texts, and sentence and paragraph development.
Throughout your college career, as well as in your future profession, you will be expected to write. In this course you will strive to construct and organize your arguments more effectively; to think more analytically about issues; and to write about these issues in a way that is both clear and convincing. By the end of this course, you should feel more confident about your ability to handle the wide variety of writing tasks you will face in the future.
This section of English Composition 101 is, however, somewhat different from other sections. In signing up for this section, Writing and Psychology, you have joined a learning community. All members of this class are simultaneously enrolled in Dr. Stanley Jackson's section of Psychology 101. This means that Dr. Jackson and I, while not team teaching, are designing assignments that complement each other. Much of the work you do in this class should help you with the work you do in Dr. Jackson's class (and visa versa). For example, you will have opportunities to explore issues and concepts raised in his class in more detail through the writing and discussion you do in this class. Our hope is that you will leave these two courses with a keener sense of how writing relates to psychology, as well as to your own specific personal, civic, and professional goals. We also hope that you will form stronger intellectual and social connections with the other students in this community, and recognize the importance of active participation in the larger WSC community.
Specific Course Goals--at the end of this semester you should be able to:
Attendance: This class requires collaborative learning, so attendance is vital. Students who miss more than three classes will lose points off of their participation grade (10 per absence). Students will also be completing in-class writing assignments on a weekly basis. These may not be made up. I will drop the two lowest grades.
Much of the work that we will be doing in this class involves discussion. Your success, as well as the success of your peers, depends upon your regular participation. This is especially true on days when rough drafts are due. Failure to attend class on these days means that you will not be given a peer response assignment, and this will affect your grade.
Assignments: I will assign both in-class and out-of-class essays, along with various written and oral exercises. Unless otherwise notified, out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of class on the date specified by the course outline. For each out-of-class essay, you will write at least one rough draft before producing the final draft. You will also be expected to complete a peer critique for each of these essays.
Assignments handed in late will be marked down (five points per day). Failure to hand in a rough draft and peer critique will lower the grade on your final draft considerably (see section on grading). All drafts should be typed and double-spaced. Papers should be documented using the MLA or APA citation system. You will always need at least 2 photocopies of your rough drafts. Consider this an additional course expense. Students should also retain a photocopy of all their final drafts. Conferences with the instructor will be arranged when necessary. Any exceptions to the above guidelines must be discussed with me in advance of due dates.
Grading: Please note the criteria for grading in the English Department's Composition Program Brochure, distributed to you during orientation: Your final grade will be based on the following assignments:
For a total of 1000 points.
Each final paper will receive two grades: the first grade, for product, will be added into your essay grade accordingly; the second grade, for process, will be added into your participation grade. Note, however, that failure to pass in a rough draft on the date the rough draft is due will leave you with a process grade of zero and will lower your final product grade by one grade.
When I compute grades at the end of the semester, numbers will correspond to the following letters (i.e., 925 and above equals A, 900-924 equals A-):
Scholastic Dishonesty: Please read and sign the statement on plagiarism given to you during class. Retain note cards, drafts, and any other relevant materials for all major writing assignments. You may be required to submit these on request.
All readings are found in the textbooks unless otherwise specified. In addition to what is listed below, each student is required to keep a journal, making at least one out of class 150-200 word entry per week (you will need a folder with pockets and white lined paper for your journal). Although you will often be invited to write in your journal on a subject of your own choosing, some weeks you will be asked to write on specific topics. Journals will be picked up randomly and unannounced. You will also make entries during class. Always have your journal in class with you along with all texts. Note that assignments and due dates are subject to change.
September
October
November
December
Final exam will be held on Tuesday, December 19, 10:30-12:30 in Bates 210. You must bring your journal with you to the exam.