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University of Denver, Fall 2001 sections 12 & 17 Welcome! Critical Reading and Writing is the first course in the First-Year English sequence. We will study readings rich in academic content across the disciplines but appropriate to the non-specialist. We will discuss and write our responses to these works in order to challenge and test our own assumptions and to develop a confident writing voice. We link reading and writing as critical inquiry and reflective learning, and we provide instruction in the basic conventions of academic writing, along with mastering details that contribute to the development of an interesting, unified, organized, coherent essay of substance. For every assignment you will need to be aware of voice, audience, and purpose. As preparation for the academic writing you will do in all your courses at DU, your essays for this class will be responses to the essays you read in our text and will, in some way, respond to the course theme: The Individual and the Making of Meaning. All students must pass a standardized English departmental exit exam in order to advance to Argument and Research. On completion of this course, students are expected to have developed the following skills:
Required Texts: Critical Strategies for Academic Thinking and Writing (Rose and Kiniry, 3rd ed.), Opening Doors: Guide to First-Year English (Whitt, Walpert, and Black, 13th ed), and The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. SCHEDULE
Please consult Opening Doors: Guide to First-Year English for English department policies on plagiarism, attendance, conferences, the Honor Code, and the Exit Exam. Attendance: You are a vital member of our community, and regular attendance is essential. You are allowed three absences with no penalty; additional absences and chronic late arrivals will affect your final grade adversely (-25 points each instance after first three). If you have an emergency medical absence, please obtain documentation. Any student eligible for accommodation of special learning needs should speak with me during the first week of class. The best way to contact me outside of class is to send an email; I will respond as soon as I receive your message. Assignments: Please bring your Critical Strategies textbook to class every day. If you have a question about any assignment, ask me—I'm happy to help. Assignments are due in class, at the beginning of class, on the due date to receive full credit. Assignments will be accepted one class period late (this will result in a reduction of five points) but not after that unless you have received permission for an extension. Please do not email or fax assignments. Academic Responsibilities: All work must be your own, generated this quarter. Turning in work that you have completed for another class is academic dishonesty. 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 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 Guide 39-40 for more information). See also the DU Honor Code. Response Papers: You will write a number of short response papers, 1 page long and typed (double-spaced). On each response paper, please include your name, the date, the response paper number, and the topic discussed. A response paper should reflect your critical reading of a text: after reading the text at least twice, take a position on something or explore one specific aspect of the text in detail. The following list may help you focus on a direction for discussion:
Workshop Guidelines: We will be working as a community of writers in this course, and you will take part in several workshops. Workshops provide the important opportunity for you to give and to receive feedback within a group of writers familiar with your writing goals. In order to receive full credit for workshops, you must bring the requested amount of copies of your draft in progress and give written feedback to all of your group members: you will receive 30 points if you have 2 copies of your draft and you give feedback to others, 20 points if you have 1 copy of your draft and you give feedback to others, and 10 points if you only give feedback. If you are not here for workshops, you cannot make up the points. Critical Essay Guidelines: Workshop drafts and final versions of your essay should be word processed in a 12-point standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.); see Guide for manuscript format guidelines, standards for grades, and a revision checklist (41-46). Aim for the length requirement; half a page over or under is acceptable. Please proofread carefully. I am looking for a clear original thesis supported by specific and relevant evidence discussed in a well-developed and well-organized essay. You should integrate some paraphrases and/or short quotations where appropriate—documented, of course, with parenthetical citations and a works cited list in MLA format (see Guide 191-195 and 215-216). When you turn in a final version of an essay, please include all of the drafts leading up to your final version. Then, each time you turn in a new essay, also include the graded version of earlier essays. (So when you turn in essay three, for example, you will turn in all drafts of essay three and the final version of essay three, plus the graded versions of essays one and two.) Editing Sheets: We will go over this together in class, but please see Guide 46-48 for information on the editing sheet. You will need to do an editing sheet for each essay that you write. Your graded essay will have numbers in the margins that correspond to the Bellwether Handbook in the Guide. Use the chart on the back of the Guide to determine the area of correction necessary. When you make the correction, you may write just the word before and after the change (instead of writing the whole sentence each time). If you have more than 20 errors, just do the first 20. Editing sheets are due one week after I return your graded essay. Exit Exam and Electronic Portfolio: You will receive more information on the exit exam, which includes the posting of your best Critical Reading and Writing essay on your electronic portfolio, later in the quarter. Please note, however, that you will need to successfully pass the exit exam in order to move on to Argument and Research. 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
grade will reflect your efforts! Your final grade will be based on the
following framework (adjusted for absences/lates if necessary).
GOOD THINGS TO KNOW Extra Credit Opportunities: A visit to the Write Place (other than for an "R") is worth five extra credit points (up to three times). To receive extra credit, (1) ask the the writing center tutor to sign his/her name legibly on the draft and to note the date and duration of your visit then (2) write "Write Place Copy" across the top of the draft. In addition, you may attend two literary readings during the quarter and write a one-page (typed) review for five points each—readings are offered at various places around town: at DU (see the English department web calendar for more information), at Tattered Cover, and at many other places (Westword provides a list each week). You may also attend the grammar and punctuation workshops offered by the First-Year English program, for five points each, up to three times (see Guide for a schedule). Some Important
Dates:
Last day to drop without signature: October 19, 2001; last day to drop
with signature: November 2, 2001; final exam period, November 17-20,
2001.
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