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Metro State, Fall 2002, section 47
Course Description: We will discuss and practice various strategies for writing and revising thoughtful, effective college essays. At the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following abilities: use writing as part of a process leading to an understanding of feelings, beliefs and knowledge; recognize ways in which writing enhances learning; focus the intention of the essay on a central idea or purpose; specify the central idea through elaborative detail; recognize options made available by the relationships among writer, purpose, and audience; adjust writing style to the needs of a specific audience; exercise useful control over writing mechanics; produce prose characterized by sound sentence structure, clear diction, and recognizable, logical organization. For course policies, click here. Required Texts: Reading Critically, Writing Well (Axelrod & Cooper, 6th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002) and A Writer's Reference (Hacker, 4th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002) SCHEDULE
Attendance: You are a vital member of our community, and regular attendance is essential and expected. You are allowed 1 absence with no penalty; additional absences, late arrivals, or early departures will affect your final grade adversely (-25 points each instance at my discretion). More than 3 weeks of absences will be considered grounds for failure of the course. If you have an emergency medical absence, please obtain documentation. Metro has a policy of accommodating students who need to miss class because of their religious beliefs, provided such students notify their instructors of such needs within the first 2 weeks of the semester, so please talk with me if this applies to you. Any student eligible for reasonable accommodation of special learning needs should speak with me during the first week of class. Assignments: Assignments are due in class, at the beginning of class, on the due date to receive full credit. If you will not be in class for some reason, you could ask someone to turn in your work for you. I will accept your work 1 class period late (this will result in a reduction of 10 points) but not after that. Please do not email or fax assignments.I will expect you to have completed the assigned readings and to be prepared to talk about them in class. Academic Responsibilities: All work must be your own, generated this semester. Plagiarism involves using all or part of a source (words or ideas) without correctly citing the source (this would include representing another person's work as your own or using a source in any way without correct documentation). You are responsible for asking me if you are not sure how to document something. Academically dishonest or plagiarized work will receive an "F" and may be grounds for further disciplinary action (see the Student Handbook for more information). See A Writer's Reference for an explanation of how to integrate quotations, cite, and set up source lists. Final Grade Framework:
You determine your
grade from this day forward, so do ask me if you have any questions about
the assignments or anything else. To earn the most possible points, come
to class prepared and on time, do your own work to the best of your ability,
turn in the work on the due date, and participate in class. Your final
grade will be based on the following framework (adjusted for absences/lates
if necessary):
Important Dates: The No-Credit (NC) deadlines are September 21 (no faculty signature required) and October 25 (faculty signature required). Final exams end December 14. ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES Essays: We'll talk about the specifics of each essay assignment in class; however, with each essay, your goal is to take a meaningful stand (defined in a clear thesis) and support it with lively, well-developed and well-organized discussion using relevant examples. Essays should be approximately 4 pages long. Do not incorporate block quotations—in other words, quotations should be less than 4 lines long. Workshop drafts and final versions of essays should be word processed in a 12-point standard font (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.); follow the manuscript format described in A Writer's Reference. If you use a source, you must include proper citations and a works cited list; please use MLA parenthetical documentation format for citing sources (see A Writer's Reference). Your name and page number should appear on every page in the upper right-hand corner--you do not need a title page. Aim for the length requirement; half a page over or under is acceptable. Please proofread carefully. When you turn in a final version of an essay, please include all of the drafts leading up to your final version in your folder, and keep all materials—you’ll need to include them in your portfolio. Portfolio: Please divide the different sections below with a sheet of paper (titled/designed or not), and have all the materials spiral- or coil-bound. Your portfolio will include the following.
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