Summer 2003 ENGLISH 102y

Rebecca Whitus Longster

Rebecca Whitus Longster, Instructor
Office: Heavilon Hall 303c
Summer 2003
Phone: 49-43730 - (home) 765-884-8225
Class meetings: TTH 5:30-8:20 pm
E-mail: RebeccaL@purdue.edu
Class location: SIA Training Center
Office Hours: by appt.
Textbooks:
        Faigley, Lester and Jack Selzer. Good Reasons
        Strunk, William Jr. and E. B. White.  The Elements of Style, Fourth Ed.

1. Come to class	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

102y is the second course in the freshman composition sequence.  Like 101y (which many of you have probably taken) this section of the course is designed to expand upon the objectives of the standard 102 course to meet the unique needs of non-traditional students.  102y is intended to help you develop and exercise your critical thinking, reading, researching, and writing skills.  As with 101, 102 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, developing and improving our own.

This particular section of 102y will focus on creating effective, well written, and well supported arguments. I have selected the textbook and designed the syllabus to expose you to various and perhaps new perspectives on how writing "works," with the expectation that as you become aware of the effective techniques and strategies employed by "good" writers you will then "go thou and do likewise." When you are able to write effective arguments that persuade your chosen audience to think, speak, and/or act as you have suggested (or to at least think about doing so), you will have learned to weild a weapon more powerful than a light sabre and more intoxicating than a magic wand.  In your hands you will hold the power to interest and engage and persuade any audience you choose, at home, at work, in your community, in your profession, in the world itself.

You must be prepared to spend a great deal of time and energy on this class.  The first part of the semester especially will be "front end loaded," with fairly extensive reading assignments.  Since the class meets only twice a week, this is unavoidable, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the content of the textbooks, and that you will find that they stand you in good stead as you write for this class and in the writing you do beyond this class. Also, we will be doing a lot of in-class writing, reading, reviewing, thinking (I certainly hope!), and discussing.  In this class especially, you can play a major role in choosing the direction in which the discussion will go, the issues upon which you will focus, and the topics about which you will write--and, equally important (at least to me), you will have fun! (Honest.)

Welcome to the class.

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.

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 (not dot-matrix) and should have appropriate margins, spacing, pagination, etc.

Harry Potter    English 102y    January 27, 2001 Should the Dementors be removed  from Azkaban?            Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    xxxxxxxxxxxxx.  Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    xxxxxxx (and so on . . .)     Potter  -1-

Each of your final draft essays will have in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, single spaced:  --your name,  --English 102y,  --and the date.  You will then double space, center, and type in the title of the paper. Double space again and begin the text.  All papers (and drafts) are to be: --double spaced,  --in 12 point font  Each page will contain: --1 inch margins all around.  --page number --your name (a running header or footer is good for the last two).  ***See example left***

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.

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.

Semester grades will be composed of the following:
 

Major papers (three) = 60%
In-class exercises, quizzes, topic proposals, peer reviews, self-assessments, etc. = 30%
Attendance and Participation = 10%

And be assigned according to the standard grading scale:

90-100% = A    80-89% = B  70-79 = C    60-69 = D   below 60 = F

The following will give you some idea what I'm looking for in homework assignments and major papers, and some of the criteria by which your writing will be evaluated in this class.  The more general criteria (pertaining to clarity, development, voice, etc.) also will apply to in class writing, while some (mechanics, grammar, documentation of sources, etc.) will be of less concern. Note:None of these lists of criteria, however, should be considered all inclusive:

"A" work consists of clear, lucid, well developed writing which tells of something important and/or interesting.

• Such writing will clearly present your thesis, argument, support, etc.;
• will be free or nearly free of mechanical and grammatical errors;
• will actively entertain and engage as well as enlighten the reader.
• The writer's presence can be felt in such writing;
• his or her own particular style and "voice" will be evident therein.
• Sources are used appropriately, quotations and paraphrases appearing as a seamless part of the whole.
• Texts and additional sources are cited clearly and correctly within the text and in a Works Cited page at the end of the paper.

"B" work consists of clear, lucid, fairly well developed writing on a topic of interest and/or import.

• Such writing will also clearly present your thesis, argument, support, etc.;
• may have a few mechanical and/or grammatical errors; and/or
• may be less actively entertaining, engaging, and/or enlightening.
• Or: the writer is present in this kind of work, but not as consistently so.
• Or: the writer's individual style and/or "voice" is not as clearly evident.
• Or: use of sources isn't as smooth or unobtrusive as it could be.
• Or: text and other sources aren't correctly documented.

"C" work is adequate, developing a topic with an evident thesis, a clear argument, support, etc.

• Such writing may be marred by obvious mechanical and grammatical errors and/or
• may present the information in an adequately informative but less than entertaining or engaging way.
• The reader will often find no sense of the writer's presence in such works, no indication of the writer's individual style or "voice."
• Sources may not be properly used or documented.

"D" work is less than adequate, of less than acceptable quality.

• The thesis isn't clear, the argument is weak, and/or the structure of the paper obscures the writer's intent.
• Mechanical and/or grammatical errors appear frequently, also getting in the way of the reader's understanding of the essay.
• The writer is almost completely absent from the work; it could have been  written by anyone.
• Sources are used improperly or not at all, and/or incorrectly cited in the text or on the Works Cited page.

"F" work is very poorly or carelessly done and is unacceptable.

• Such writing has no clear thesis or argument, and is poorly structured.
• The writer's purpose is unclear, leaving the reader confused rather than enlightened.
• Mechanical and grammatical errors abound, and
• the work itself is completely anonymous, lacking any discernible style or voice.
• Sources are used improperly or not at all, and/or incorrectly cited in the text and on the Works Cited page.

Note: since (as is made clear on our schedule) you will have ample opportunity to get feedback on drafts and make revisions before you turn in the final draft, I'm confident that each and every one of you will be able to earn the grade you desire.  You do your best, and I'll do everything I can to help you write well--deal?

I hope you are looking forward to this semester as much as I am.  Again, welcome to my class!
                                                                                                                    Rebecca

developed by Rebecca Whitus Longster, Spring 2001
page last updated: 05.17.03
corrections and suggestions to: RebeccaL@purdue.edu

link to 102y Schedule: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~rebeccal/comp/102yS03/schedule.html