WRIT 2072 (Spring I 2006)

Assignments, Grades, and Policies

I will calculate your final grade using the percentages listed below.   I will base your grades for written assignments on criteria which we will discuss in detail throughout the semester. In addition, although we will not spend an extensive period of time on mechanical skills such as grammar and punctuation, you will need to observe the rules and conventions of standard American edited English in order to receive a passing grade on written assignments.   In this course, you will be writing in order to have a particular effect on your readers and to accomplish certain purposes.   If your work is littered with distracting mechanical errors, it can detract from your credibility and even from the clarity of your message.   If I find you have problems with basic grammar and punctuation, I will advise you on the best course to take to improve your skills in that area.

Exercises: A number of short, written exercises will be due in class to help you apply concepts from our reading to your own experiences and the issues you are interested in exploring.   These exercises must be turned in during the class period when they are due (unless you are granted an excused absence) in order to receive credit.

Writing Assignments and Peer Response Workshops: You will be expected to create a rough draft of each of the class writing assignment (the letters, proposals, media analysis, and issue campaign) and bring it to class for a peer response workshop.   These workshops are the foundation of the class and, thus, are required.   If you miss a workshop, either because you are absent or because you do not have a rough draft, you will not be able to turn in the final draft of that assignment for credit.   (If you miss due to an excused absence, you can make up the workshop by taking your draft to the Writing Center to discuss with a writing coach.) Please note that your participation in these workshops accounts for 5% of your overall grade .  

When you turn in your final draft of each assignment (revised in response to the workshop and any other feedback you may have received), please remember to include your rough draft(s), written comments from the students in your workshop group, and any other information specified on the assignment sheet.

Attendance:   This course will involve a great deal of class discussion, and you will work in groups regularly.   Thus, it is essential that each class member be present at every class. One or two unexcused absences will not affect your final grade.   Three will translate into a B for attendance; four a C, five a D, and 6 an F. If you feel you have a legitimate reason for missing class (such as illness or a death in the family), please contact me as soon as possible, and I will let you know whether or not it is excused.

If you miss more than 6 classes for any reason -- even illness -- and do not withdraw, you will fail the class .   This policy is not a punishment but rather a way to preserve the integrity of the course, both for you and the other students. If you miss the equivalent of more than three weeks, you simply will not be able to gain from the class what you should; because so much of the class is conducted as a workshop, there is just no way to make up large portions of the class on your own.   Also, having even one or two students attend sporadically detracts from the class atmosphere or those who do attend regularly.   If you miss more than 6 classes before the university's deadline for withdrawal, I recommend that you withdraw so you need not fail the course.   Repeated late arrivals to class will count as partial absences .

Any time you miss a class, you are responsible for finding out what you missed and for completing assignments discussed while you were absent.   If you are unable to contact me in time to find out about an assignment, then you should contact a classmate.   It is not my responsibility to contact you and tell you what you've missed.

Participation :   We will be engaging in a number of in-class exercises and discussions, and your level of active involvement in these will in large part determine your participation grade.   But keep in mind that participation doesn't mean just being vocal.   Just a few insightful comments or questions can go a long way.   Conversely, if you are vocal but consistently detract from the quality of the course for others, it will hurt your participation grade.   Your goal should be to help yourself and your classmates become better thinkers and writers, and your participation should be targeted towards that goal.

Conferences:   Each student is encouraged to come to my office for a brief conference at least once during the semester. You are also encouraged to come to my office during my office hours to discuss ideas, readings, papers, or problems.

Jobs and Other Commitments:   I understand that many of you have part-time or even full-time jobs, and I can certainly sympathize with the need to earn money.   I know many of you also have other important commitments outside of class, including sports, other extracurricular activities, and families.   However, you must make sure that these commitments do not interfere with attendance or with completing your assignments.   Any absences relating to them will not count as excused.

Plagiarism:   Don't do it!!   Plagiarism is using someone else's words or ideas as your own (as opposed to citing someone else's words and ideas and giving that person credit, or getting someone to help you with your own work, which are both quite acceptable academic practices).   Plagiarism is a very serious offense, and I reserve the right to fail any student (for the assignment or for the course, depending on the circumstances) found guilty of plagiarism.   If you have any doubt about whether your use of someone else's work might count as plagiarism, please talk to me.