Course Requirements
Attendance and Participation
All Wittenberg English classes are based on skills development (writing, analysis, argumentation, academic citation, research, etc.), and on class discussion, so active student engagement in our courses is vital. Multiple learning processes may be practiced and refined in any given class meeting. Frequent absences for any reason will interfere with those learning processes, and by extension, will compromise skill acquisition and lead to limited improvement in the quality of a student’s work. Furthermore, frequent absences disrupt class discussions, which often build on knowledge gained in previous classes.
We understand that students sometimes must miss class due to illness, for other university-sponsored events, and for personal reasons. For clarity, and particularly to serve those for whom college is a very new experience, we have decided to draft the following department-wide attendance policy, which applies to all students:
While no one is encouraged to miss classes unnecessarily:
Students who miss class for any reason are still responsible for any missed information, and are expected to communicate prior to returning to class, to get notes and handouts from a classmate and/or Moodle. Two tardies in excess of 2 minutes count as an absence.
In-class participation is a part of your grade, and will be a portion of the points per class (depending on how much full class discussion or group work we’re doing on a given day). If you are painfully shy, then please talk to me at the beginning of the semester, and we will work out a way for you to fulfill the participation requirement. Unless I have talked with you about it, I am not averse to calling on you randomly in class if my questions are met with silence.
Points per class are awarded as follows: 1=butt in seat, 2=mostly paying attention, 3=definitely paying attention, 4=offers short answer, 5=offers substantive answer. You must substantively participate in large group discussion at least once per week to get full credit at the end of the term--there are 32 classes, and at least 20 of them will have some discussion. So, for example, if you always come prepared to talk about the material and regularly respond, if there are 20 class discussions, you will receive 100/100. If you simply clearly pay attention, you will receive a 60/100. As a final note, you must complete all of your reading and be able to discuss it in order to get full points for the day.
We understand that students sometimes must miss class due to illness, for other university-sponsored events, and for personal reasons. For clarity, and particularly to serve those for whom college is a very new experience, we have decided to draft the following department-wide attendance policy, which applies to all students:
While no one is encouraged to miss classes unnecessarily:
- Each student in a standard class (four credits / full semester) that meets three times a week (usually “MWF”) may miss up to 4 classes, for any reason, with no specific grade penalty.
- Each student in a standard class (four credits / full semester) that meets two times a week (usually “T/Th”) may miss up to 3 classes, for any reason, with no specific grade penalty.
- Beyond that minimal number, additional absences will affect the student’s grade:
- In a “MWF” course, you will be docked 1 /3 of a letter grade for the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th absence.
- In a “T/Th” course, you will be docked 1/ 3 of a letter grade for the 4th and 5th absence.
- Under some documented and reviewed circumstances, a faculty member may take into account cases of chronic illnesses, disabilities, and other extreme circumstances. Students requesting to establish reasonable accommodations due to a disability or chronic illness need to register with Accessibility Services. Services are confidential. Accommodations may take time to put into place and are not retroactive. Students are responsible for maintaining their own files of documents related to any absences.
- When a student has reached 9 “MWF” or 6 “T/Th” standard classes (or the equivalent of three full weeks of class meetings), they are no longer able to pass the class and will receive an automatic F. At this point, you will be asked to withdraw from the course [Minutes: 585 MWF / 570 T/Th]
- Other credit / term options will normally be proportional to the above policies.
Students who miss class for any reason are still responsible for any missed information, and are expected to communicate prior to returning to class, to get notes and handouts from a classmate and/or Moodle. Two tardies in excess of 2 minutes count as an absence.
In-class participation is a part of your grade, and will be a portion of the points per class (depending on how much full class discussion or group work we’re doing on a given day). If you are painfully shy, then please talk to me at the beginning of the semester, and we will work out a way for you to fulfill the participation requirement. Unless I have talked with you about it, I am not averse to calling on you randomly in class if my questions are met with silence.
Points per class are awarded as follows: 1=butt in seat, 2=mostly paying attention, 3=definitely paying attention, 4=offers short answer, 5=offers substantive answer. You must substantively participate in large group discussion at least once per week to get full credit at the end of the term--there are 32 classes, and at least 20 of them will have some discussion. So, for example, if you always come prepared to talk about the material and regularly respond, if there are 20 class discussions, you will receive 100/100. If you simply clearly pay attention, you will receive a 60/100. As a final note, you must complete all of your reading and be able to discuss it in order to get full points for the day.
Completion of All Work for Each Unit
Unit 1: Synthesis Essays (20% total, 10% each)
To write a synthesis, you combine two (or more) arguments, analyses, or styles into a single essay. In your synthesis essays, you will be required to both analyze texts and argue about their content.
Essay 1: Media and Society
Analyze one of the articles on either smartphones or social media for how well it provides facts to support the opinions of the author, and then support, refute, or modify the author’s position. In this 750 word essay, you will need to argue a nuanced position regarding smartphones in our society. Obviously, smartphones and social media aren’t going anywhere, so it’s pointless to argue that we should get rid of them. Equally obvious is the fact that smartphones and social media both have some serious detrimental effects on users and on society. Using one or two of the articles we read, write a short argument supporting, refuting, or modifying the author’s position based on your experience.
Essay 2: Analysis and Argumentation
For this 750 word essay, you will use your analysis of one or two scenes, symbols, motifs, or characters in Feed to build an argument about what Anderson seeks to warn the audience about in regards to technology. You will need at least one outside source to support your argument.
Unit 2: Analyzing Media and Politics (15%)
Essay 3: Rhetorical Analysis
You will conduct a rhetorical analysis of an article or speech of your choice. In 1000 words, you will analyze the rhetorical appeals and strategies employed by the speaker/writer, and assess their effectiveness in appealing to their target audience. You may want to include a paragraph pointing out logical fallacies that compromise the overall quality of the argument, but most of the paper should be focused on the rhetorical choices made by the writer/speaker.
Unit 3: Research (20%)
Essay 4: Digital Lives Research Essay
Using an issue raised by The Circle, you will conduct research on a recent issue raised by the development of digital technology. This essay will draw on the skills you learned over the course of the semester and will add a research component. In an essay of approximately 1800-2400 words, you will select a contemporary issue raised by The Circle that you care about and you will write a research essay that develops an analysis of the issue, how it is presented by various media stakeholders, and will provide a nuanced argument about some aspect of the issue.
Using two scenes in The Circle, you will begin with a short analysis of how those scenes relate to a real-world issue of your choice. You will then develop a rhetorical analysis of two competing media presentations regarding aspects of that issue. Finally, you will develop your own argument about the issue using your own research, synthesis, and analysis.
Possible issues include (but are not limited to):
To write a synthesis, you combine two (or more) arguments, analyses, or styles into a single essay. In your synthesis essays, you will be required to both analyze texts and argue about their content.
Essay 1: Media and Society
Analyze one of the articles on either smartphones or social media for how well it provides facts to support the opinions of the author, and then support, refute, or modify the author’s position. In this 750 word essay, you will need to argue a nuanced position regarding smartphones in our society. Obviously, smartphones and social media aren’t going anywhere, so it’s pointless to argue that we should get rid of them. Equally obvious is the fact that smartphones and social media both have some serious detrimental effects on users and on society. Using one or two of the articles we read, write a short argument supporting, refuting, or modifying the author’s position based on your experience.
Essay 2: Analysis and Argumentation
For this 750 word essay, you will use your analysis of one or two scenes, symbols, motifs, or characters in Feed to build an argument about what Anderson seeks to warn the audience about in regards to technology. You will need at least one outside source to support your argument.
Unit 2: Analyzing Media and Politics (15%)
Essay 3: Rhetorical Analysis
You will conduct a rhetorical analysis of an article or speech of your choice. In 1000 words, you will analyze the rhetorical appeals and strategies employed by the speaker/writer, and assess their effectiveness in appealing to their target audience. You may want to include a paragraph pointing out logical fallacies that compromise the overall quality of the argument, but most of the paper should be focused on the rhetorical choices made by the writer/speaker.
Unit 3: Research (20%)
Essay 4: Digital Lives Research Essay
Using an issue raised by The Circle, you will conduct research on a recent issue raised by the development of digital technology. This essay will draw on the skills you learned over the course of the semester and will add a research component. In an essay of approximately 1800-2400 words, you will select a contemporary issue raised by The Circle that you care about and you will write a research essay that develops an analysis of the issue, how it is presented by various media stakeholders, and will provide a nuanced argument about some aspect of the issue.
Using two scenes in The Circle, you will begin with a short analysis of how those scenes relate to a real-world issue of your choice. You will then develop a rhetorical analysis of two competing media presentations regarding aspects of that issue. Finally, you will develop your own argument about the issue using your own research, synthesis, and analysis.
Possible issues include (but are not limited to):
- The effect of social media on face-to-face interactions
- Balancing digital and “real world” social lives
- Work-Life balance
- The use (or misuse) of apps
- Privacy and surveillance
- Monopolies
- Quantification of all human endeavor
- Corporate media
- Corporate-government relationships
Final Portfolio (5%)
All ENGL 101 courses must include this common assignment, usually due as the final assignment in the class:
Purpose: For students to demonstrate how their best writing from English 101 meets our five course objectives, demonstrating their ability to:
Contents: The portfolio must include a cover letter that includes metacognitive reflection on your learning in the course and your writing/revision process. The cover letter should refer to several works you have written over the course of the semester (totaling at least 15 pages of material).
Purpose: For students to demonstrate how their best writing from English 101 meets our five course objectives, demonstrating their ability to:
- Analyze a rhetorical situation based on content, audience, purpose, genre—and respond appropriately;
- Focus a thesis and support it with well-selected evidence—integrating other voices and perspectives;
- Organize an essay by means of well-developed and coherent paragraphs;
- Produce mature, coherent, persuasive prose that follows the conventions of academic writing;
- Assess the relevance and validity of sources, and use those sources ethically.
Contents: The portfolio must include a cover letter that includes metacognitive reflection on your learning in the course and your writing/revision process. The cover letter should refer to several works you have written over the course of the semester (totaling at least 15 pages of material).
- Cover Letter
- Revised essay(s) that highlight your development as a writer in regard to the learning goals
- Research Essay
Workshops (2.5%)
There will be a number of formal workshops over the course of the semester. Workshops are a tool used by professional writers to get feedback from peers in order to revise their work. You will be put in small groups or pairs, and will be required to send your essays to your workshoppers a day or two prior to our class meeting. You should read over the drafts your peers sent, and should come prepared to discuss strengths and weaknesses. While writing is a sensitive issue, good writing only comes from critique and editing. Full-essay workshops generally fill one full class period (and sometimes more); use this knowledge as a guide for how closely to read your peers’ work. Workshops will be discussed at greater length in class.
Revision of Essays
You will be required to rewrite one essay in Unit 1 and you may revise the essay in Unit 2. Anything that is revised will be completely re-graded, and the grade on the revision will replace the first grade you received. We will discuss the concept of substantive revision in class.
SSI Sessions (5%)There will be weekly sessions held with my Faculty Aides, Jenn Ryan and Bailey McPhail, that will help you work on writing and critical thinking skills each week. You are required to attend at least two of these sessions during the semester, and I may require that you attend more if you are struggling with the work. Daniel is an exceptional writer and teacher, and is very familiar with the requirements in my class, the purpose, parameters, and expectations of each assignment, and the skills you absolutely need to develop to succeed in 101.
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Meetings
You will be required to meet with me twice during the semester. During the first two weeks, I will require a very short (5 minute) meeting just to say hello and have a brief discussion. After Unit 2, I will require a longer meeting (30-45 minutes) to discuss approaches for the final research essay.
My office is 118 Hollenbeck, and my office hours are Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 and 12:30-1:30. My Faculty Aides will also hold office hours. If you cannot meet at those times, I’m happy to schedule an appointment! I’m on campus Monday-Thursday, so it will just be a question of finding a convenient time for both of us. You are required to meet with me twice during the semester—once for a short meeting in the first few weeks, and once for a longer meeting before you begin work on your final project. However, you are welcome to come in with questions at any point in the semester! If I am meeting with another student, please let me know that you’re waiting.
My office is 118 Hollenbeck, and my office hours are Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 and 12:30-1:30. My Faculty Aides will also hold office hours. If you cannot meet at those times, I’m happy to schedule an appointment! I’m on campus Monday-Thursday, so it will just be a question of finding a convenient time for both of us. You are required to meet with me twice during the semester—once for a short meeting in the first few weeks, and once for a longer meeting before you begin work on your final project. However, you are welcome to come in with questions at any point in the semester! If I am meeting with another student, please let me know that you’re waiting.
Late Work
I don’t accept late work because I usually give you time to work on projects in class. In addition, in your future career, late work can get you fired. If you’re having printer problems, just e-mail me the essay prior to class, and you may submit a hard copy in my mailbox later.
How Much Time Will all of this Take?
The rule of thumb is that for each credit hour of a course, you should spend 2-3 hours outside of class. For example, our 4 credit hour class will require 3 hours in class and 8-12 hours of work outside of class.
I don’t always give you 8-12 hours’ worth of clearly defined homework because I want you to be able to spend time writing, meeting with Writing Center tutors, or researching.
In addition, take notes!
I don’t always give you 8-12 hours’ worth of clearly defined homework because I want you to be able to spend time writing, meeting with Writing Center tutors, or researching.
In addition, take notes!
A Note on Distractions
- Cell phones are not permitted in class. The first time I see one, I will issue a warning to the class in general. The second time I see one, everyone in the class will be subject to a quiz, which will be the result of every subsequent appearance of a cellphone as well. This includes merely checking the time
- We do a lot of work on computers. The temptation for distraction is—I know—quite overwhelming. A quick check of the e-mail or one brief cat video seems like a victimless crime, right? On the contrary, research shows that your use of the computer for entertainment during class harms not only your own grade but the grades of those sitting nearby. Furthermore, it is deeply disrespectful to me and to your peers.
- If I see you on your e-mail, on Facebook or Twitter, or on any other non-class-related site, I will issue a warning the first time. The second time, you will be marked absent. The third time, you will be asked to leave class and will be required to have a meeting with me about your performance.
- I don’t mind if you go to the bathroom, but it shouldn’t take you more than five minutes, and if you need to go to the bathroom every day during my class, you need to devise a better plan or see a doctor. If you are gone for a significant period of time, you will be marked absent.
Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is as easy to spot as it is to avoid. I will give a short lecture in class reminding you of what constitutes plagiarism, but beyond that, I expect you to never copy and paste someone else’s work. No “right-click synonym,” either—that’s also plagiarism. Don’t buy essays online—they’re not very good. Also remember that I am totally capable of using Google, Wikipedia, SparkNotes, and all of the other study aids.
Part of the struggle in any writing class is adapting ideas into your own words. While this is a challenge, it is not insurmountable, and you should ask me for help any time you get overwhelmed, have concerns about whether or not you have appropriately used and/or cited a source, and whenever you have any type of question. It’s always better to ask beforehand than to receive a failing grade. If you choose to ignore my warning, as well as my offer of help, the first incident of plagiarism will result in a report to the Honor Council, a failing grade on the plagiarized paper, and a required rewrite of the paper in question. On the second incident of plagiarism, you will receive a failing grade for the class. |
Grades
Attendance and Participation 20%
Unit 1 Essays 10% each= 20%
Unit 2 Essay 15%
Unit 3 Research Essay 20%
Workshops 2.5% each= 15%
SSI Sessions 5%
Portfolio Letter 5%
Please note that not every writing assignment you produce will be graded, and process assignments are graded on a √+, √, √- basis. Part of the participation and notebook grades are based on writing that may not be formally graded, but will be discussed and used in class. Part of the point of many writing assignments is practice.
If at any time you are wondering what your grade is, download the form below and fill in your grades. Remember that participation points are awarded based on participation, not on attendance alone. You are welcome to come into office hours to check on your grade, but I expect you to have a basic idea of what it is.
If you have a question about your grade or concerns about your progress, come to me immediately! I'm always happy to help.
Unit 1 Essays 10% each= 20%
Unit 2 Essay 15%
Unit 3 Research Essay 20%
Workshops 2.5% each= 15%
SSI Sessions 5%
Portfolio Letter 5%
Please note that not every writing assignment you produce will be graded, and process assignments are graded on a √+, √, √- basis. Part of the participation and notebook grades are based on writing that may not be formally graded, but will be discussed and used in class. Part of the point of many writing assignments is practice.
If at any time you are wondering what your grade is, download the form below and fill in your grades. Remember that participation points are awarded based on participation, not on attendance alone. You are welcome to come into office hours to check on your grade, but I expect you to have a basic idea of what it is.
If you have a question about your grade or concerns about your progress, come to me immediately! I'm always happy to help.
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