Sunday, August 22, 2004
Syllabus and Course Policies
Course Description
For many of you this is your first semester at UNC. While you were all successful high school students, college is very different, especially when it comes to the type of writing you are expected to produce. Rather than regurgitating information presented in class, college students are called upon to formulate original ideas, support them with credible evidence and wrap the whole package up in readable, lively prose. Over the course of the semester this course will equip you with the skills necessary to create the type of writing you will produce for the rest of your tenure at UNC.
There will be three units of study in the course. In unit one, you will study popular culture, composing analytical essays that explore the ways in which mass media influences and informs public thought and opinion. In unit two you will select a public issue and formulate argumentative essays and persuasive speeches in an attempt to convince your classmates to pursue a particular course of action. Finally, in unit three, you will study the conventions of academic discourse.
Draft Workshops
Everyone in the class has a different background and brings different writing skills to the table, and a significant portion of class-time will be devoted to sharing these skills in draft workshops. Though everyone has something to contribute to these workshops no one’s skill set is totally complete, so enthusiastic participation in this aspect of the class is crucial, not to mention mandatory.
Required Texts (Available in Student Stores)
Student Guide to English 10, 11, and 12: 2004-2005
The St. Martin’s Handbook, 5th Edition
Attendance
Despite what the people you meet at frat parties might say, attendance in English 11 is mandatory. The members of your group depend on your feedback and presence in class is essential, thus my stringent attendance policy. More than two absences will aversely affect your grade and any student who accumulates more than seven absences over the course of the semester will receive a failing grade. If you have extreme circumstances which require you to miss several classes (i.e. mononucleosis, the death of a close relative, etc.) please let me know as soon as possible that there may be as little disruption to the operation of your group as possible. Please note that there is NO distinction between excused and unexcused absences.
Assignments
You will produce three finished products for each unit: two feeder assignments which will either develop skills you will need or help you put together preliminary research for your unit assignment and a more extensive unit project that will encompass all of the things we’ve studied in class. At the end of each unit you will turn in a portfolio that includes finished drafts of the two feeders and the unit assignment. This portfolio will be evaluated along with your participation in class to determine your grade for the unit.
All papers should be typed and double-spaced. Margins should not be larger than 1.25” on each side. Also, please use a reasonable font such as Arial or Times New Roman (or their Mac equivalents). I don’t want to spend hours attempting to interpret your pseudo-hieroglyphic font, and I don’t want to see a two-page paper stretched to three by unreasonably large fonts. Remember, I was an undergraduate once as well and I know all about Courier New.
Late papers are unacceptable. Not only are they unprofessional they are unfair to your fellow students who worked hard and turned their papers in on time. Papers are considered due by the end of class on the due date unless another time is specified by me. Late drafts will not be accepted unless prior arrangements are made with me. Late portfolios will be accepted, but will be strictly penalized. If you miss class on the paper’s due date and do not arrange to get it to me by the end of class your paper is considered late. Under no circumstances will I accept papers submitted electronically.
Even more unacceptable than late papers is plagiarism. All instances of plagiarism will be prosecuted in the honor court to the fullest extent allowable by university policy. If you are thinking of plagiarizing, remember that it’s not difficult to tell your writing from a professional’s and I can probably find the original source as easily as you did. You will get far more from the course if you do the work yourself, and your grade will always be better if you work hard on a mediocre assignment than if you plagiarize an excellent one.
Grading
Obsession with grades is a severe impediment to the writing process, and the perception that one must write to the teacher’s desires rather than one’s own artistic ambition is a key cause of bad writing. No one wants to read the kind of lifeless prose most people think will earn them an A, thus no piece of writing in this class will receive a grade. All drafts (including final drafts) will be evaluated and responded to by myself as well as your group members, but they will not be graded. Grades will only be assigned for your cumulative work in the unit, including final drafts, preliminary drafts and participation in draft workshops and in-class assignments.
Final grades for the course will be assigned with an eye toward each student’s individual progression toward better writing and a more comfortable and fruitful writing process. Unit one and two will each account for 30% of the final grade and unit three will account for 40%. I reserve the right to adjust grades when an extraordinary commitment to the class is apparent.
Speeches
All students will be required to give speeches in front of the class for unit two. If you have anxiety about this assignment please speak to me as soon as possible so that we can discuss the many options UNC offers for students with anxiety about public speaking. Under no circumstances will any student be exempt from this assignment.
The Writing Center (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/)
Students are encouraged to visit the UNC Writing Center (located on the lower level of Phillips Annex). The tutors at the writing center will work with you one-on-one through problems or concerns about any stage of the writing process and can provide useful feedback between in-class draft workshops. Please note that the writing center tutors will not edit or proofread your papers.
Course Web Site (http://www.unc.edu/~dlupton/english11/)
This course’s web site will be an integral means of communication and it is expected that you check it regularly (i.e. at least several times per week). In addition to the main course web site, each student will be required to set up his or her own web site using your university-allotted web space.
Email Correspondence
If office hours are inconvenient students are encouraged to communicate with me via email with the caveat that I will respond at my convenience. I will not review drafts via email; if you are grappling with specific issues you may send a section of your paper, but no more than two paragraphs at a time.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the unattributed or unacknowledged use of another’s words or ideas and is a breach of the honor code. If I suspect you of a willful violation of the honor code, I will report you to the honor court. See your Student Guide for further information on plagiarism.
| English 11, Section 95 | Instructor: Daniel Lupton |
| Fall 2003 | Office: Greenlaw Hall 307 |
| 2:00 P.M.-3:15 P.M., TR | Office Hours: W 2PM-3PM, F 12-1PM, IM office hours M 7-8PM, screen name english1195 |
| Howell 107 | dlupton@email.unc.edu |
Course Description
For many of you this is your first semester at UNC. While you were all successful high school students, college is very different, especially when it comes to the type of writing you are expected to produce. Rather than regurgitating information presented in class, college students are called upon to formulate original ideas, support them with credible evidence and wrap the whole package up in readable, lively prose. Over the course of the semester this course will equip you with the skills necessary to create the type of writing you will produce for the rest of your tenure at UNC.
There will be three units of study in the course. In unit one, you will study popular culture, composing analytical essays that explore the ways in which mass media influences and informs public thought and opinion. In unit two you will select a public issue and formulate argumentative essays and persuasive speeches in an attempt to convince your classmates to pursue a particular course of action. Finally, in unit three, you will study the conventions of academic discourse.
Draft Workshops
Everyone in the class has a different background and brings different writing skills to the table, and a significant portion of class-time will be devoted to sharing these skills in draft workshops. Though everyone has something to contribute to these workshops no one’s skill set is totally complete, so enthusiastic participation in this aspect of the class is crucial, not to mention mandatory.
Required Texts (Available in Student Stores)
Student Guide to English 10, 11, and 12: 2004-2005
The St. Martin’s Handbook, 5th Edition
Attendance
Despite what the people you meet at frat parties might say, attendance in English 11 is mandatory. The members of your group depend on your feedback and presence in class is essential, thus my stringent attendance policy. More than two absences will aversely affect your grade and any student who accumulates more than seven absences over the course of the semester will receive a failing grade. If you have extreme circumstances which require you to miss several classes (i.e. mononucleosis, the death of a close relative, etc.) please let me know as soon as possible that there may be as little disruption to the operation of your group as possible. Please note that there is NO distinction between excused and unexcused absences.
Assignments
You will produce three finished products for each unit: two feeder assignments which will either develop skills you will need or help you put together preliminary research for your unit assignment and a more extensive unit project that will encompass all of the things we’ve studied in class. At the end of each unit you will turn in a portfolio that includes finished drafts of the two feeders and the unit assignment. This portfolio will be evaluated along with your participation in class to determine your grade for the unit.
All papers should be typed and double-spaced. Margins should not be larger than 1.25” on each side. Also, please use a reasonable font such as Arial or Times New Roman (or their Mac equivalents). I don’t want to spend hours attempting to interpret your pseudo-hieroglyphic font, and I don’t want to see a two-page paper stretched to three by unreasonably large fonts. Remember, I was an undergraduate once as well and I know all about Courier New.
Late papers are unacceptable. Not only are they unprofessional they are unfair to your fellow students who worked hard and turned their papers in on time. Papers are considered due by the end of class on the due date unless another time is specified by me. Late drafts will not be accepted unless prior arrangements are made with me. Late portfolios will be accepted, but will be strictly penalized. If you miss class on the paper’s due date and do not arrange to get it to me by the end of class your paper is considered late. Under no circumstances will I accept papers submitted electronically.
Even more unacceptable than late papers is plagiarism. All instances of plagiarism will be prosecuted in the honor court to the fullest extent allowable by university policy. If you are thinking of plagiarizing, remember that it’s not difficult to tell your writing from a professional’s and I can probably find the original source as easily as you did. You will get far more from the course if you do the work yourself, and your grade will always be better if you work hard on a mediocre assignment than if you plagiarize an excellent one.
Grading
Obsession with grades is a severe impediment to the writing process, and the perception that one must write to the teacher’s desires rather than one’s own artistic ambition is a key cause of bad writing. No one wants to read the kind of lifeless prose most people think will earn them an A, thus no piece of writing in this class will receive a grade. All drafts (including final drafts) will be evaluated and responded to by myself as well as your group members, but they will not be graded. Grades will only be assigned for your cumulative work in the unit, including final drafts, preliminary drafts and participation in draft workshops and in-class assignments.
Final grades for the course will be assigned with an eye toward each student’s individual progression toward better writing and a more comfortable and fruitful writing process. Unit one and two will each account for 30% of the final grade and unit three will account for 40%. I reserve the right to adjust grades when an extraordinary commitment to the class is apparent.
Speeches
All students will be required to give speeches in front of the class for unit two. If you have anxiety about this assignment please speak to me as soon as possible so that we can discuss the many options UNC offers for students with anxiety about public speaking. Under no circumstances will any student be exempt from this assignment.
The Writing Center (http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/)
Students are encouraged to visit the UNC Writing Center (located on the lower level of Phillips Annex). The tutors at the writing center will work with you one-on-one through problems or concerns about any stage of the writing process and can provide useful feedback between in-class draft workshops. Please note that the writing center tutors will not edit or proofread your papers.
Course Web Site (http://www.unc.edu/~dlupton/english11/)
This course’s web site will be an integral means of communication and it is expected that you check it regularly (i.e. at least several times per week). In addition to the main course web site, each student will be required to set up his or her own web site using your university-allotted web space.
Email Correspondence
If office hours are inconvenient students are encouraged to communicate with me via email with the caveat that I will respond at my convenience. I will not review drafts via email; if you are grappling with specific issues you may send a section of your paper, but no more than two paragraphs at a time.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the unattributed or unacknowledged use of another’s words or ideas and is a breach of the honor code. If I suspect you of a willful violation of the honor code, I will report you to the honor court. See your Student Guide for further information on plagiarism.
