Fall 2002

ENGLISH 101y Rebecca Whitus Longster

---

Read, read, read. Read everything--trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. --William Faulkner

Rebecca Whitus Longster, Instructor
Office: Heavilon Hall 303c
Fall 2002
Phone: 49-62803 - (home) 765-884-8225 (main office) 49-43740
Class meetings: W 5:30-8:20
E-mail: RebeccaL@purdue.edu
Class location: SIA Training Center
Office Hours: by appt.

Textbooks:

Reid, Stephen. Purpose and Process: A Reader for Writers, 4th ed.Strunk, William Jr. and E. B. White.  The Elements of Style, Fourth Ed.

1. Come to class on time, every time.	2. Keep up with reading assignments.
3. Turn work in on time.	4. Keep a copy of all work handed in.
5. Take an active and civil part in class discussion.	6. Do not plagiarize.
7. If you don't understand something--ASK.	.

Course Description

101y is a freshman composition course designed to expand upon the objectives of the standard 101 course to meet the unique needs of the non-traditional student.  101y is intended to help you develop and exercise your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills.  It is first and foremost a writing class, and most of our time in this class will be spent on reading and discussing the writing of others and creating and producing our own.  I have selected the textbook and designed the syllabus to expose you to a variety of writing styles and genres, as well as to refresh your memory and polish your skills as a writer.  When you are able to write correctly and knowledgeably to the various issues raised in class,  you will be able to write about anything.  You must be prepared to spend a great deal of time and energy on this class, but remember as well that you can play a major role in choosing the materials you will read, the issues you will discuss, and the topics about which you will write--and, equally important, it will be more fun than you think!

Welcome to the class.
 

Attendance

Regular attendance is required as individual and group work  and class discussion will form a significant part of fulfilling the course objectives. Additionally, at least 10% of your final grade will be based upon attendance and participation--and if you don't attend, you can't participate.   More than 3 absences (unexcused) will be considered excessive and will adversely affect your final grade.  If you know in advance that you have to miss class, please let me know, and in the event of an emergency, get in touch with me as soon as you can; both of the above instances will be considered excused.  If you do miss a class, you are still responsible for the material covered that day and for getting any assignments due during that class to me as soon as possible.  After I have learned your names, I will pass around a daily sign up sheet.  Please be sure you have signed it each day as this is the record of your attendance.

Assignment Preparation and Timeliness

You are expected to produce high-quality professional papers.  Neatness, visual appeal, and mechanical and grammatical correctness do matter though they do not by themselves guarantee that a paper is well written. Major papers should be typed or word-processed using a letter quality printer and should have appropriate margins, spacing, pagination, etc.

Note: correct format for papers is as follows: In the upper left corner put your name, English 101y, and the date (single spaced); double space, center and type in your title; double space again, indent and begin your text (double spaced throughout the body of the paper. Additionally, each page should have your name and the page number (a running header or footer is good for this--if you don't know how to set one up in Word, ask me.).

Papers and corresponding assignments are due at the beginning of the designated class period unless otherwise announced.  Please turn in all your work on time as I find it extremely distasteful to have to reduce a grade simply because the assignment was late.  On rare occasions I do grant a short extension if circumstances warrant it.  If you need one, ASK.
 

Conferences

While I do not cancel class for individual conferences, I do encourage you to meet with me individually to discuss your progress, grades, etc. You may do so during the in-class work time I will set aside for you or by making an appointment with me outside class.  If you have questions or need to contact me for any reason, your best bet is to send me e-mail as I check it daily and respond immediately if possible (When you send email, please remember to include your class # in the subject line so I can find your message more easily.). Next best is to call me at home. If I'm not there, leave a detailed message and I'll return your call.  As a last resort, you can leave a message with the English Dept. at the number above.

I'm really looking forward to this semester; I hope you are too! Again, welcome to my class!
                                                                                                                      Rebecca

Grades will broken down as follows :

Reader Response essay	10%
Four Papers (3-5pg, 10% each)	40%
Quizzes	10%
Reading/Writing Journal	30%
Attendance & participation	10%
Total	100%

*Note: contents of the Reading/Writing Journal

Prereading essays and question responses to readings should be written in your journal but will not be as closely scrutinized in terms of grammatical and mechanical considerations as will major papers. For these brief essays, your focus should be on quality of content and coherent structure.

Freewriting exercises (minimum of two each week, minimum of 10 minutes-maximum of 20 minutes each) should also be completed in your journal. However, freewriting will not be evaluated or commented upon by myself or your peers. You will receive credit for freewriting assignments simply for doing them.

At this point, I plan no midterm or final -- I may, however, modify that plan as the semester goes on based upon what I judge to be your progress and your needs.  If major exams become necessary, I will of course change the grading percentages accordingly.

 

developed by Rebecca Whitus Longster, Spring 2000
corrections and suggestions to: RebeccaL@purdue.edu

revised: 08.20.02