English 100 - 011 Fundamentals of English

Fall 2001

Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 a.m.

Instructor: Christine M. Tutlewski Phone: 2260

Office Hours: T/R: 8:30 - 9:20 Office: CART 210

W: 5:00 - 5:50 Email: tutlewsk@uwp.edu

And by Appointment Mailbox: 2nd Floor of CART

Prerequisites: Placement into English 100 by the Wisconsin English Placement Test or a grade of “C-“ or better in ACSK #090. Students who have not taken the placement test should go immediately to Counseling and Testing (WYLL 107) to take the test.

Course Goals and Description: This course is designed to improve fundamental writing skills and prepare you for English 101. In the course you will review basic grammar and sentence structure and study the structure and function of paragraphs as you write essays. Writing will be approached as a process that includes prewriting, writing, revision, and editing.

Required Texts and Supplies:

· The Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing. Brief edition.

· Rules for Writers, 4^th Ed.. Diana Hacker

· 75 Readings: An Anthology Ed. Santi Buscemi and Charlotte Smith

· One-subject bound notebook for in-class exercises

· Folder with pockets for draft submissions

· College Dictionary (I recommend The American Heritage Dictionary)

Course Requirements

To succeed in this course you should (1) attend every class session, (2) submit assignments when due, and (3) demonstrate a commitment to writing improvement.

Attendance is mandatory; failure to attend class on a regular basis will negatively affect your grade. If you should miss a class session, please contact another student to review his/her notes. Students arriving after attendance has been taken will be marked absent.

Class participation is essential. Therefore, read assigned chapters and essays with questions and/or comments in mind, and be prepared to discuss the concepts covered in each chapter.

Writing: Assigned writing will include: both in-class and out-of-class essays, journals, drafts, short assignments, responses, etc. You should be writing something every day.

Essays: You will be required to write four out-of-class essays and one reflective essay for this course. Except for the journal drafts, which should be handwritten, these essays must be typed (double-spaced with one-inch margins and 12-point font), and must conform to the assignment specifications. If an essay does not meet these requirements, I may return it without reading it and request that you rewrite it. You must turn in all of these essays, including the drafts or you will not pass this class. Papers are due at the beginning of the class period on the designated due date. Students should always make copies of all work. In the unlikely event that I should lose a paper, you will be responsible for providing another copy.

Each of essays will go through at least two revisions (The first and second drafts will be "workshopped" with your peers in class). These drafts will be revised using the comments, considerations, and recommendations of your peers. I will comment on the second revision. Throughout the semester, you will be further revising two of the first four essays for inclusion in your final portfolio. Anticipate that you will be doing multiple (more than three), extensive revisions (or re-writings) of these two essays.

Reflective Writings: Throughout the semester I will be asking you to reflect on what you are reading and writing. These in and out-of-class writings will form the basis of the fifth, reflective essay

Peer Response WritingGroups: Because this is a writing class and because a writer's work benefits enormously from multiple readers, we will spend time in class working on your writing in writing groups. On the days first or second drafts are due, it will be your responsibility to give thoughtful, constructive criticism to your peers. In addition, you must be prepared to share your work with other members of your group. On journal draft days, it is essential that you come to class prepared with a complete draft of your essay.

Late Paper Policy: I will allow one essay draft to be turned in no more than one week after the due date. Be advised, however, late essays will receive no written comments from me. Late essays may also negatively affect your overall grade in the course.

Reading: Good writers read because reading is essential to the mastery of writing skills. It will be your responsibility to keep up with the assigned reading. Failure to do so will quickly put you at a disadvantage since homework and in-class work will be based on the reading assignments.

Response papers: Because I would like our in-class discussions about the readings to address what might interest, bother, concern, or confound you, you will be required to write a brief, one-paragraph response to each essay assigned. These responses should be typed or very carefully hand-written and double-spaced. Your responses may address the following questions:

· What is the purpose of this piece of writing?

· Who is the audience for this piece of writing?

· What are its strengths?

· What are its problems?

· What questions do you have about it?

Conferences: You will be required to schedule two meetings with me during the semester, the first prior to Thursday, October 18 and the second prior to Thursday, November 29. These may be scheduled during my office hours or by appointment at some other mutually convenient time. I highly recommend that you come to see me more often, especially if you are encountering difficulties. There are few problems that cannot be solved through early intervention, so please do not wait.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the deliberate presentation of the writing or ideas of another as one’s own. This is a serious breach of University policy. All ideas and language which are not your own must be acknowledged through the use of:

1. Quotation marks when material is presented verbatim, plus parenthetical citation and Works Cited.

2. Parenthetical citation and Works Cited when the work is paraphrased.

If in doubt, act on the side of caution—MLA style is fine for the above. Students found plagiarizing are subject to severe sanctions which include a failing grade for the course and suspension/expulsion from the University.

In order to be eligible to submit a portfolio, you must:

· complete every essay

· turn in no more than one late essay draft (please see late paper policy above)

· attend class regularly (miss no more than four class periods)

· complete at least 75% of all daily assignments

Final Grades: Your final grade in the class will be determined as follows:

Daily assignments………...……………………….…………………….….25%

Class Participation (attendance, discussions, workshops, etc.)…….………25%

Final Portfolio……………………………………..…………………50%

Extra Credit Assignment “Racine Reads/Racine Lee”

For this extra-credit assignment, you must complete the following:

· Read Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (The book is available in English or Spanish at the following Racine stores:

o Barnes & Noble Booksellers

o Martha Merrell’s Bookstore

o Harry W. Schwarz Bookshops

· Attend one of many community events/discussions about the book

· Write a two-page paper that does the following:

o Reflects on your experience reading the novel or attending the event (see Allyn & Bacon, Chapter 25)

The successfully completed assignment will be equivalent to two paper grades. This assignment cannot be substituted, however, for the required assignments.

UW-Parkside Resources

Many university resources are available to help you with your work in this course as well as other courses. I encourage you to take advantage of these services:

· The Writing Center D180 WYLL 595-2044

The Writing Center offers free one-to-one assistance with writing for any course and is staffed by trained tutors who can help you understand assignments, brainstorm ideas, and consider strategies for revision

· Library Hours (recording) 595-2649

· Library Reference Desk 150 WYLL 595-2360

· Library Check-Out Desk 150 WYLL 595-2238