Course Policy Information Sheet

For a .doc version of the Course Policy Information Sheet, click here.

ENC 1101, Section # 26
11:15 – 12:05       MWF
Instructor: Heather Lang
Course Blog: http://enc1101-26.blogspot.com/
Email:hl12d@my.fsu.edu Office: TBA, Office hrs: TBA

First Year Composition Mission Statement
First-Year Composition courses at FSU teach writing as a recursive and frequently collaborative process of invention, drafting, and revising. Writing is both personal and social, and students should learn how to write for a variety of purposes and audiences. Since writing is a process of making meaning as well as communicating, FYC teachers respond to the content of students‘ writing as well as to surface errors. Students should expect frequent written and oral response on the content of their writing from both teacher and peers. Classes rely heavily on a workshop format. Instruction emphasizes the connection between writing, reading, and critical thinking; students should give thoughtful, reasoned responses to the readings. Both reading and writing are the subjects of class discussions and workshops, and students are expected to be active participants of the classroom community. Learning from each other will be a large part of the classroom experience.

If you would like further information regarding the First-Year Composition Program, feel free to contact the program director, Dr. Deborah Coxwell Teague (dteague@fsu.edu).

Course Goals
This course aims to help you improve your writing skills in all areas: discovering what you have to say, organizing your thoughts for a variety of audiences, and improving fluency and rhetorical sophistication. You will write and revise four papers, write sustained exploratory journals, devise your own purposes and structures for those papers, work directly with the audience of your peers to practice critical reading and response, and learn many new writing techniques. Course Outcomes In ENC 1101 and ENC 1102, students work to develop their own thinking through writing. The First-Year Composition Program sees the aims–goals and objectives–of the courses as outcomes for students, and we share the position adopted by the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA) regarding ―‗outcomes,‘ or types of results, and not ‗standards,‘ or precise levels of achievement . . . [that] we expect to find at the end of first-year composition‖ (from the WPA Outcomes Statement). The aims lie in several areas:

Rhetorical Knowledge
·         By the end of first-year composition, students should:
·         Focus on a purpose
·         Respond to the needs of different audiences
·         Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations
·         Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality
·         Understand how genres shape reading and writing
·         Write in several genres

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing
·         By the end of first-year composition, students should:
·         Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating
·         Understand a writing assignment as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources
·         Integrate their own ideas with those of others
·         Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power

Processes
·         By the end of first-year composition, students should:
·         Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text
·         Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading
·         Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and re-thinking to revise their work
·         Understand the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes
·         Learn to critique their own and others‘ works
·         Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of doing their part
·         Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences

Knowledge of Conventions
·         By the end of first-year composition, students should:
·         Learn common formats for different kinds of texts
·         Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics
·         Practice appropriate means of documenting their work
·         Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Composing in Electronic Environments
·         By the end of first-year composition, students should:
·         Use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts
·         Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government databases); and informal electronic networks and internet sources
·         Understand and exploit the differences in the rhetorical strategies and in the affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts.

Required Textbooks and Materials
·         On Writing: A Process Reader (2010), FSU edition, by Wendy Bishop
·         The McGraw-Hill Handbook (2010), FSU edition, by Maimon, Peritz, and Yancey
·         Our Own Words, available online
·         Access to a Computer (the university provides a number of computer labs)

Requirements of Course
·         All of the formal written assignments below must be turned in to me in order to pass the course.
·         Four papers, edited and polished
·         Three drafts and revisions of each of the four formal papers
·         Around 15 journals
·         Two individual conferences—scheduled by you and your instructor, in lieu of class time, to work one-on-one on a draft, writing strategy, etc.
·         Thoughtful, active, and responsible participation and citizenship, including discussion, preparation for class, in-class informal writing

Evaluation
Active participation in class discussion, discussion boards, conferences, workshops, and preparedness in class all factor into this section. Drafts will be graded on completeness and potential—not on editing or other mechanical issues. Final papers will be graded on audience awareness, organization, coherence, supporting evidence, thorough analysis, and editing using rubrics we create together in class. All other written and oral work will be graded on meaning or content and appropriateness to the assignment.

Paper 1 = 15% Paper 2 = 20% Paper 3 = 25% Final Project = 25% Blogs = 10% Participation = 5%

ALL FORMAL PAPERS AND THEIR DRAFTS MUST BE COMPLETED AND TURNED IN TO EARN A PASSING GRADE IN THIS COURSE.
All final drafts receive “as is” grades. Students may turn in one additional revision for reevaluation before Thanksgiving Break. No revisions will be accepted after the break.

Attendance
The First-Year Composition program maintains a strict attendance policy to which this course adheres: six absences in a MWF class is grounds for failure. You should always inform me, ahead of time when possible, about why you miss class. Save your absences for when you get sick or for family emergencies. Not showing up for a conference counts as an absence as well. Part of your grade is based on class participation—if you are not here you can‘t participate!

First-Year Composition Course Drop Policy
This course is NOT eligible to be dropped in accordance with the ―Drop Policy adopted by the Faculty Senate in Spring 2004. The Undergraduate Studies Dean will not consider drop requests for a First-Year Composition course unless there are extraordinary and extenuating circumstances utterly beyond the student‘s control (e.g. death of a parent or sibling, illness requiring hospitalization, etc.). The Faculty Senate specifically eliminated First-Year Composition courses from the University Drop Policy because of the overriding requirement that First-Year Composition be completed during students’ initial enrollment at FSU.

Civility
I absolutely will not tolerate the use of language or behavior that discriminates against any individual’s gender, race, class, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Additionally, behavior that disrupts class is disrespectful and will not be tolerated. During this class, we will discuss many topics that students are very passionate about.  If you sometimes feel inclined to joke about these topics, you will want to keep in mind that such jokes are rarely received lightly by everyone, and just because you may sit next to someone, you cannot possibly know where their lines are on all these topics. Thus, any comments, jokes, remarks, or quips that demean the worth of an individual will not be tolerated. If you break this policy, I may ask you to leave the classroom and count you absent. This policy also extends to all assignments on class blogs. If you should break this policy, I will request that your post be removed and you will receive a zero for the assignment.

Disruptive behavior, including the use of cell phones, pagers or any other form of electronic communication during the class session (email, web-browsing), will not be tolerated. Although we have access to computers, the internet, and other gadgets, please refrain from using them or visiting Facebook, Twitter, or other off-topic web sites unless instructed to do so. Disruptive behavior also includes whispering or talking when another member of the class is speaking or engaged in relevant conversation (remember that I am a member of this class as well). This classroom functions on the premise of respect, and you will be asked to leave the classroom if you violate any part of this statement on civility. Remember that you will send me an email that indicates you have read and understand this policy.

Projects and Assignments
What follows are brief explanations of your major assignments for this class. Full descriptions can be found online on the class blog. If you have questions or concerns about any of these assignments, please refer to the online assignment sheet and then ask me if you have other questions. I reserve the right to change or rearrange these assignments at my own discretion. If changes are made, students will be notified immediately of those changes.

Blog Posts (100 points)
Exploratory blog posts usually deal with a reading assignment or class discussion. All blogs must be posted before the class begins (we‘ll cover how to do this in class) and should be at leasth 300 words in length. Posts should be thoughtful and show the depth of your thinking process; you might tell stories to illustrate your ideas, you might end up contradicting yourself, you might write things you aren‘t certain are true or not—these are a few ways you can explore in your journals. We will also use blog posts as a regular source of invention by freewriting or brainstorming on topics. It is my hope that you will find your blog a useful source of notes and information as we move through the drafting process.

We will regularly share posts in class, so be sure to write things you are comfortable discussing with others.  

You must have a blog dedicated specifically to this class setup at blogger.com. You may choose to make the information on your blog public or only visible to those people who have the link. The choice is yours.

Class Blogger
Each student will sign up to be the “class blogger” for a particular day. The purpose of the classroom blogger is to record notes, summarize conversations, and narrate classroom action as best you can. You are invited to take photographs and video footage and use links or other multimedia in your blog entry. In essence, the class blogger is a reporter documenting classroom events. After your experience as class blogger, you will write a short reflection blog entry about your experience that answers the following questions: what aspects of the class did you focus on and why? If you chose to use other media, what did you use and why? How did occupying the role of “class blogger” change your perspective of the classroom?

Paper 1: Digital-Media History Narrative, 4–6 pages (150 points)
This assignment is a multimedia version of a literary history with an emphasis on media such as computer games, online video, social networking programs, and other web content. The limits of our experience are the limits of our world, but in a technological age where Wii games engage millions and YouTube videos sway voters, that experience might be indirectly broad. This paper does need to be analytic in nature. It‘s fine for you to relate to me your experiences with your cultural media history, but I want you also to be able to interpret and critique the visio-cultural texts that have influenced you to see how they have contributed to the overall development of your character. More information about this assignment is available online at the class blog. You will be given more information about this assignment at a later time.

Paper Two: Visual/Textual Interaction, 7–8 pages (250 points)
For Paper Two, you will build on the observation and analytic skills employed in Paper One with the objective of exploring connections between written and visual texts. In achieving this goal, you will focus on how elements from both visual and written texts serve to interpret, emphasize, complicate, or mask one another. Think of your favorite magazine, for instance. Now imagine if it had no visuals in it whatsoever, no pictures or cartoons or ads. How different would your magazine be? The visuals that are included in your magazine serve a distinct purpose, and for this essay you will consider what that purpose is. You will be required to analyze elements of the visual text like image, layout, color, design, and lighting. You will also consider qualities of the written text, such as voice, tone, audience, and style. Through a comparison of the two texts and how they work with and/or against each other, you will make a specific claim about the media‘s ideas, values, and overall message and support this argument with details obtained through close observation and analysis. More information about this assignment is available online at the class blog. You will be given more information about this assignment at a later time.

Paper Three: Exposing Advertisements and Uncovering Truths, 6–7 pages
Since we are trying to build on each paper, pulling elements from the previous for the subsequent, the logical step for the final project is to create a text that utilizes some of the rhetorical strategies that we‘ve studied or evaluated up until this point. To begin this project, you will need to think about how current advertisements work—what images and texts do they use? How are these images displayed on the ad? What makes this product look appealing? Does it even relate to the product‘s purpose? However, we don‘t want to perpetuate the type of mentality in implementing those strategies, so instead of simply creating an advertisement we are going to create an anti-advertisement. You will need to spend some time looking at adbusters.org and researching a topic you’d like to know more about. You advertisement will be accompanied by a paper dealing with questions related to how the advertisers for the ad you are spoofing manipulate or create their ad. This paper will include at least one secondary source. More information about this assignment is available online at the class blog. You will be given more information about this assignment at a later time.

Final Project: Anti-Ad Zine (250 points)
For this project, you will be placed in groups of three or four and you will work together to create a magazine that could utilize all of your own specific anti-advertisements. Again, you can base this on a real magazine or completely create a new one. The point is that you work together to produce a magazine that could include all of the anti-ads you created in Paper Three. Therefore, you need to think about the audience each anti-ad targets and the type of ideas that you are trying to convey to that audience. Then, create or find a magazine that would fit these specific requirements. As a group, you will compose a detailed rationale for your magazine, which provides a justification for the content and relates the magazine to the individual anti-ads. This group rationale should be 2-3 pages. Also, the group will work together on creating a magazine cover and a table of contents, which will include the placement of each anti-ad. You will need to create the actual visual representation of the magazine cover and table of contents as well as including each person‘s anti-ad from the previous paper. In addition to creating the cover and table of contents as a group, each individual member will also write a process memo describing their own experience (1-2 pages). This assignment brings all of the rhetorical, visual, and textual aspects of media together. During the final week of class, each group will present their magazine and anti-ads to their classmates. More information about this assignment is available online at the class blog. You will be given more information about this assignment at a later time.

Participation Grade (50 points)
Your Participation Grade will be figured in four parts: attendance, completion of blogs, class blogger report, and group participation grading. To receive full participation points, students should miss no more than three classes, complete at least 15 journal entries and their class blogger report, and receive satisfactory reviews after the completion of the group project.

Late Work, Drafts, Revisions, and Final Papers
Major assignments will be accepted late for up to 10 days with a 10 percent penalty for each day after the due date. For example, a paper turned in one day late will receive, at most, 90%. Blog posts cannot be posted late to receive credit.

You‘ll need to make copies of your drafts and revisions (not final papers) before you come to class on days we workshop. The number of drafts needed will be provided to you prior to each workshop. I require that all drafts and revisions be typed (MLA format, 1-inch margins). You have access to a number of computer labs around campus, so if you don‘t have your own computer take advantage of one of FSU‘s. Final papers do not need covers or title pages. All your written work must have your name, my name, and the date at the top of the first page. You will be responsible for some photocopying expenses for this class on occasion, in order to share your writing with your peers. You will generally be choosing your own topics and structures for the drafts and papers in this class (after the first week). You will be required to share your work with your classmates so take care in what you choose to write about. Your writing for this class is nearly always public writing in the sense that others will be reading, hearing, and commenting on it.

Failure to turn in a rough draft to the instructor will result in a 10 percent deduction from the final grade. Similarly, failure to come prepared to peer review (on time, with copies for peers), will also result in a 10 percent deduction from the final grade.

Reading Writing Center (RWC)
The Reading/Writing Center, located in Williams 222-C, is devoted to individualized instruction in reading and writing. Part of the English Department, the RWC serves Florida State University students at all levels and from all majors. Its clients include a cross-section of the campus: first-year students writing for composition class, upper-level students writing term papers, seniors composing letters of applications for jobs and graduate schools, graduate students working on theses and dissertations, multilingual students mastering English, and a variety of others. The RWC serves mostly walk-in tutoring appointments; however, it also offers three different courses for credit that specifically target reading, undergraduate-level writing, and graduate-level writing. The tutors in the RWC, all graduate students in English with training and experience in teaching composition, use a process-centered approach to help students at any stage of writing: from generating ideas, to drafting, organizing, and revising. While the RWC does not provide editing or proofreading services, its tutors can help writers build their own editing and proofreading strategies. Our approach to tutoring is to help students grow as writers, readers, and critical thinkers by developing strategies for writing in a variety of situations. During the fall and spring semesters, the RWC is open Monday through Thursday from 10 - 6 and Friday from 10 -2. Hours of operation vary in summer. Visit the RWC website or call 644-6495 for information.

Strozier Satellite Location
The Strozier location serves students where its most convenient for them and alongside the research and advising services the library offers. Only walk-in appointments are available at this RWC location, on a first-come first-served basis, but students can sign up in advance the day of an appointment at the tutoring area. Hours vary by semester, but are updated on both the RWC website and the Strozier Library website at the start of each semester.

Digital Studio
The Digital Studio provides support to students working individually or in groups on a variety of digital projects, such as designing a website, developing an electronic portfolio for a class, creating a blog, selecting images for a visual essay, adding voiceover to a presentation, or writing a script for a podcast. Tutors who staff the Digital Studio can help students brainstorm essay ideas, provide feedback on the content and design of a digital project, or facilitate collaboration for group projects and presentations. Students can use the Digital Studio to work on their own to complete class assignments or to improve overall capabilities in digital communication without a tutoring appointment if a work station is available. However, tutor availability and workspace are limited so appointments are recommended. To make an appointment email us at fsudigitalstudio@gmail.com or visit the Digital Studio in Williams 222-B. Hours vary by semester and are updated at website.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is grounds for suspension from the university as well as for failure in this course. It will not be tolerated. Any instance of plagiarism must be reported to the Director of First-Year Composition and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Plagiarism is a counterproductive, non-writing behavior that is unacceptable in a course intended to aid the growth of individual writers.

Plagiarism is included among the violations defined in the Academic Honor Code, section b), paragraph 2, as follows: ―Regarding academic assignments, violations of the Academic Honor Code shall include representing another‘s work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished, as one‘s own. A plagiarism education assignment that further explains this issue will be administered in all first-year writing courses during the second week of class. Each student will be responsible for completing the assignment and asking questions regarding any parts they do not fully understand.

Gordon Rule
In order to fulfill FSU‘s Gordon Rule ―W‖ Designation (writing) credit, the student must earn a ―C-‖ or better in the course, and in order to receive a ―C-‖ or better in the course, the student must earn at least a ―C-‖ on the required writing assignments for the course. If the student does not earn a ―C-‖ or better on the required writing assignments for the course, the student will not earn an overall grade of ―C-‖ or better in the course, no matter how well the student performs in the remaining portion of the course. The University stipulates that students must write 7,000 words in ENC 1101 and 1102 (at least 3,500 words per course).

ADA
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should in the first week of class 1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC) and 2) bring a letter to the instructor from SDRC indicating the need for academic accommodations. This and all other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. Papers and

Grades
The university uses the following 4-point scale when calculating grade point averages:


A = 4.0 93-100%
A - = 3.75 90-92%
B+ = 3.5 87-89%
B = 3.0 83-86%
B- = 2.75 80-82%
C+ = 2.5 77-79%
C = 2.0 73-76%
C- = 1.75 70-72%
D+ = 1.5 67-69%
D = 1.0 63-66%
F = 0 0-62%  



You may calculate your grade at any time during the semester by diving possible points by the number of points earned.