amy
ferdinandt
aferdina@purdue.edu
heav 417
phone:
4-3765
office hours: t/th, 12-1 pm
| purdue's writing lab | purdue university libraries |
english 106?
English 106 is a class that will give you the opportunity to think and talk and write and research using all of the resources available to you: the library, the internet, technology, your classmates, and me.
As you know, you will meet four times a week with your English 106 class. Two days, Wednesday and Friday, will be spent in a “traditional” classroom (HEAV 109), and though we’ll have chairs and desks and a chalkboard, I can’t guarantee that it will be your traditional English classroom experience.
We will spend Tuesday’s in a computer classroom (ENAD 130) exploring different ways we can use technology to communicate with each other through writing. We won’t just be talking about word processing; we’ll consider how we can communicate our ideas through e-mail, chat rooms, blogs, list serves, and web pages.
On either Monday or Thursday, you will meet with me to conference about the work we’re doing in class (HEAV 225c). We can talk about the readings we’ve done, your writing, technology…basically anything that has to do with our class. Sometimes you’ll meet with me one-on-one; other times will meet in small groups.
your learning
community
• utilized invention strategies to uncover problematic, significant, meaningful questions to investigate through writing
• learned research techniques for academic writing
• discovered ways in which rhetoric brings about social change
• explored issues in our local community of Purdue and West Lafayette
• completed four (4) writing projects and other smaller writing assignments
materials
English 106: Rhetoric of the 1960s course eBook on CD-ROM
Access to a computer with the following software:
• Microsoft Office XP
• Macromedia Studio MX
• Adobe Acrobat Reader
• Working Purdue University e-mail account
• Optional: AOL Instant Messenger
All of the software is available on any ITaP computer on campus. The software is also available at Boiler Copy Maker in Purdue Memorial Union at a discounted price if you are interested in purchasing it, but it will not be necessary for you to do so.
& participation
In order to accomplish the course goals, you must come to each class prepared. This means coming to class on time, as well as completing your readings and outside assignments. Active and informed participation in class discussions and collaborative work is also crucial.
You will be responsible for the following:
course
blog (10%)
The course blog (short for web-log) is a forum for us to continue the
conversations we begin in the classroom after our class time is over.
You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on the readings, raise questions,
discuss issues, and share ideas about the course material…or anything
else on your mind, for that matter.
You will be responsible for 48 blog postings by the end of the semester, which is equivalent to roughly three postings to the blog per week. I won’t be keeping track of who posts and who doesn’t every day; it’s up to you to be responsible for posting. That said, I would strongly encourage you to post early and often—36 posts in the last three days of class will not be looked upon with favor.
miscellaneous
short writing assignments (20%)
Throughout the semester, you will complete brief writing assignments that
are related to our readings and classroom discussions. All assignments
(except for those completed in class) must be typed and legible, and you
must turn them in to me at the beginning of class on the day they are
due. Late writing assignments will not be accepted.
final
writing portfolio (40%)
All writing is a process and the quality of our final projects reflects
the steps we take during that process. Your final writing portfolio will
include the final drafts of the four writing projects you complete this
semester, as well as an essay reflecting on what you learned as a writer
and reader this semester. This portfolio will be due by Monday, December
15 by 4 p.m.
You
do not need to turn in any of your writing projects until December 15.
However, you may turn in projects earlier if you wish to receive feedback
from me. Once you feel you have completed a project, you can submit it
to me for a grade. I will respond in one of three ways:
• Offer a grade on the project if the work meets the criteria for
success for an A project.
• Offer a tentative grade on the project. When a project is first
submitted for a grade, I will offer a tentative grade, along with suggestions
for improvement. You will then have two options:
o If you are content with the tentative grade I offer, you may opt to
accept the grade.
o If you would like to revise the project, you may resubmit the work for
a grade at a later date. After the second submission, I will offer a final
grade. Improved grades will only be earned by making substantial revisions
to your initial drafts.
Clearly, it would be to your benefit to turn in projects before December 15 so that you have the opportunity to revise them. Any work submitted on or after December 1, 2003, will be submitted for a final grade only. You will have no opportunity to revise your papers further and the grade you earn will be final. No exceptions.
research
portfolio (30%)
All writing is a process, so the research we do to write must be a process
as well. The research portfolio is an essential tool for you to keep track
of your research and writing process as you move through your projects
this semester.
Your research portfolio should be clearly divided into four sections—one for each of the projects you will complete this semester. You should keep all invention and planning documents you completed for each project, as well as any research notes, bibliographical information, outlines, drafts, or other documents you complete—in your research portfolio.
This binder should be attached to your hip this semester, at least when you’re doing anything related to English 106. Bring this binder with you to class every day, and be certain you have it when you come to conference with me. The material you have in your binder is proof of the work you’re doing in class, so it’s important to keep it updated and organized.
Your research portfolio will be due with your final portfolio on Monday, December 15 by 4 p.m.
distribution
| ASSIGNMENTS | PERCENTAGES |
POINTS |
| class blog | 10% |
100 |
| short writing assignments | 20% |
200 |
| research portfolio | 30% |
300 |
| final portfolio | 40% |
400 |
| TOTAL | 100% |
100 |
Your points will be translated into percentages, and your final grade will be calculated according to the following percentage scale:
| POINTS EARNED | FINAL
GRADE |
| 1000-900 | A |
| 899-800 | B |
| 799-700 | C |
| 699-600 | D |
| 599 and below | F |
Although class participation is not a graded component of the course, it is to your benefit to actively participate in classroom activities and discussion. If, at the end of the semester, you are at the border between two grades, I will use your class participation as a means of determining your grade.
To get as much out of this class as you can, you’ve got to be in class. Therefore, more than three absences from either the traditional or computer classroom sessions will result in your final course grade being lowered five points for each additional absence. You may miss one conference without penalty, and your grade will be lowered five points for any conference absence after that.
I expect that you are on time for class. IF you are 15 minutes or more late to class, you will be marked absent for the day.
In case of extended illness or an emergency, please contact your advisor and the Office of the Dean of Students to make necessary arrangements.
workshops
Plagiarism is the act of presenting as your own work another individual’s ideas, words, data, or research material. The concept applies equally to written, spoken, or electronic texts, published or unpublished. All ideas and quotations that you borrow from any source must be acknowledged: at a minimum, you should give the name of your author, the title of the text cited, and the page number(s) of the citation. The only exceptions to this requirement would involve what is familiar and commonly known (e.g., the fact that the earth is round). You should know that penalties for plagiarism are severe and can entail suspension from the University. Students are responsible for reading and understanding the University policy on Cheating and Plagiarism set forth in Purdue University’s Academic Integrity: A Guide for Students.
environment