Students will read several hundred pages of professional writing and participate in small-group and whole-class discussions that focus on the rhetorical context and effectiveness of assigned readings.

Students will keep a Writer’s Notebook in which they will respond to rhetorical and interpretive issues, complete writing exercises, and maintain an idea file.

Students will participate in a collaborative project that will require both a written document and an oral presentation

                Students will create a portfolio of their work in English 4000.

Course Grade:

The major writing projects for this course include

                1. A profile that critically examines your history and processes
                    as a reader and writer (4 page minimum)--100 points.

                2. A stylistic analysis of one of the writers from MAP (5 page
                minimum)--150 points.

                 3. An argument that incorporates secondary sources (7 page
                minimum)--200 points.

                4.  A collaborative argument based on original research
                (8 page minimum)--100 points. 

Other graded writing assignments include

                    1. A writer’s notebook that includes workshop writings, style
                exercises, and reading responses--100points.

                2. Two oral presentations --one individual and one
                collaborative--100 points.

                3.  A portfolio of your work in English 4000 and a reflective,
                evaluative introduction (3 page minimum)--250 points.

Course grades will be assigned on the following scale: 900-1000= A; 800-899= B; 700-799= C; 600-699=D; 0-599=F.

Grades will reflect the quality of a student’s work on all parts of the writing process, not merely on the finished product. In other words, the grade you receive on the final step in any project reflects all of the work that went into its creation.

A conference draft is required for each of the four major assignments. Please note that this is not a first draft or a rough draft; it must be a coherent, whole text that can be read and understood by your peers and your instructor, and it must be a typed, double-spaced document. Any student who fails to bring to class on the due date an acceptable conference draft will be penalized twenty per cent of the project’s points. Notes, outlines, free writings, and partial drafts will not be accepted as conference drafts. A student without a conference draft will also be ineligible to participate in peer review, thus losing valuable reader feedback and daily points. Only students with verified excused absences will be exempt from these penalties.

Students are strongly encouraged to compose writing projects on a word processor. This practice will make the required multiple drafts easier and less time consuming. One note of warning: be sure to save your document; this means saving on high density, properly formatted floppy disk or to your H drive if you are working at a public access site. Carelessness does not excuse a late paper

                Peer groups of three to four students will be organized the
                first week of classes. These groups who will work together
                throughout the semester, will meet together to read and
                discuss one another’s work in progress and to work together
                on in-class exercises. The work accomplished in peer groups
                is an important and integral part of the structure of this
                course. Groups generally develop genuine rapport, but
                problems do occur from time to time. If your group
                experiences a problem, please let me know at once.

Peer reviews will begin promptly on the class hour on the dates designated on your syllabus. Students should bring to class copies of their drafts for each group member and for the instructor. You will not be given class time to make copies; it is your responsibility to have the copies ready when class begins. Except in rare circumstances, tardy students will not participate in peer review.

You must meet with me at least twice during the quarter to discuss your writing. Once around mid-semester and again near the end of the term, we will schedule these conferences. Because we hold no class meetings on conference days, missing a conference without excuse counts as two unexcused absences. Two conferences are minimal. If you don’t understand an assignment, if you have problems with a reading, if you have questions about a draft or a graded essay, please make an appointment so that we can discuss your concerns.

Portfolios:

There is no final examination in Advanced Composition. In place of an examination, you are required to turn in a portfolio that includes a further revision of essay one, two, or three, a representative sampling of other writings, and a reflective essay that considers all of your work in English 4000. You will be given more detailed instructions later in the semester.

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