FALL 2005

ENGLISH 100

Instructor:        Dr. Tina Perdue

Office:             348 Sutton

Phone:            Office:  357-7832; English Dept. Office:  357-2261

Hours:          11:30 am-12:30 pm MWF, 1:00-3 p.m. Tues. Thursdays by

  appointment only.

 Mailbox:      110 Leonard (English Department Office)

E-mail:            PERDUE@IUP.EDU

Web Page:    www.english.iup.edu/perdue

REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS

·         A novel of your choice, subject to the conditions set forth below.

·         Access to internet

·         Notebook for class activities

·         An active IUP email account

 GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION

Assumptions about You and This Course:  The written word in some form or other is a daily part of our lives. People regularly read newspapers and magazines at home, memos and reports at work, all kinds of ads between home and work, and sometimes, they kick back with a good romance or mystery book. Writing is widespread too: we fill out insurance claim reports, accident forms and job applications; we make grocery lists, leave notes for the family, write directions, recipes, checks, and postcards; we send birthday, wedding, and graduation cards, fire off letters of complaint, or sometimes, letters of appreciation and thank-you. Many of us also write poetry and song lyrics, keep diaries, and e-mail letters to friends and family.

Most people have little or no trouble reading and writing in these daily situations. We are already quite competent readers and writers. In starting college, however, you have entered a situation that relies on a relatively formal and versatile kind of writing, a kind that many people, including you, may not be very familiar with. English 100 will show you ways to handle the demands typically placed upon academic readers and writers. This course will build from the abilities you already demonstrate almost daily so you can respond more effectively to the needs of the academic situation. 

Course Goals:  This is primarily a course in writing, so the primary goal is to help you learn how to manage your writing, focusing on the following skills and competencies:

·         Generating and organizing ideas at various stages of production.

·         Focusing your writing effectively

·         Developing your writing with informative details.

·         Extracting information and generating ideas from a written text for your own purposes;

·         "Reading" a situation so you can tailor your writing to its audience and purpose.

·         Varying sentences and choosing words to have the effect you want on your reader: style.

·         Using grammar as a tool for creating an effective style. 

Ultimately, the goal is to prepare you to breeze through ENGL-101.

Methods:  We'll accomplish these goals by adopting a workshop approach. This means that you will

    a) write a lot--in papers and class activities, and

    b) help each other to write and to improve your writing. Small groups for discussion and for editing each other's papers-in-process will be regular features of the course, as will the Writing Workshop, in which you distribute copies of a selected draft to the class.

Bottom line: lots of reading, writing, and talking will occur.

My Pledge: I will do my best in turn to make this class a positive--dare I say even an enjoyable?--experience for you. I’ll treat you respectfully, work to make class interesting and relevant to your needs, try to get papers back quickly, and be available to you for help. But I can't do it alone; I'll need the help of each of you to make this class a success by working hard and taking responsibility for attending class regularly and completing assignments on time. If you accept this deal, read on; if you don’t, you really need to drop this section.

COURSE POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:

Assignments:  2 shorter writings, plus four typed papers of increasing length (1-5+ pages) due every 2-3 weeks; these papers, along with a Writer’s Statement will be assembled in a portfolio. Various exercises and activities in and out of class. An oral assignment. A novel. These add up to a total of 8 assignments in addition to reading and class participation.

About the Novel: First the good news: You may choose your own novel to read for this course. My goal is for you to truly enjoy reading a book and to convey that enjoyment to your classmates. Mysteries, romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, urban, what’s your pleasure?

Now, the “bad” news: I have to approve the novel you choose. Honestly, my criteria are fairly open, but there are some limits. Here are some issues to think about as you consider what novel to read for this class:

1.      Let’s get the trickiest one out of the way first: Human decency. I will not permit novels that involve purposeless brutality, either physical or mental. I recognize that judgments about morality involve matters of personal choice and taste, so together we will review your choice and be guided by this discussion. But if push comes to shove, I reserve the right to make the final determination, based upon my experience as an English teacher, college professor, and experienced reader.

2.      Length and Complexity: In general, novels must be 170 or more pages long, and they must be aimed at a general adult audience. No kiddie books, please!

3.      Double-dipping: Novels that other professors have assigned do NOT count. Period. Even if you DO like them. Don’t ask for an exception to this requirement.

Keeping these limits in mind, you are free to choose a novel on any subject that interests you. In the first or second week of class, we will discuss how to find novels that will genuinely please you and brainstorm possibilities together. If several of you wish to read, discuss, and write about the same novel, please feel free to do so.

Click here to check out a guide on how to find books you might actually like.

Cover Letters:  Because a key goal in this course is to increase your awareness of your own writing processes, you will be required to attach a cover letter to each 60 point  paper you turn in. This cover letter, addressed to me and ungraded, must accompany each paper or I will not accept your paper. The letters will informally discuss your experience of writing the paper: what techniques you used, difficulties you overcame, and so on. These letters will provide the raw material for the final paper, so although they are ungraded, they will become very important in helping you write the Writer’s Statement for your portfolio.

Grades: Your final course grade will be calculated as follows:

Assignment Values                                                              Grading Scale

For assignment details, click on the titles below:

Object Description:               30 points                                450-plus points:         A
Classmate Intro:                    30 points                                400-449 points:         B
Personal Narrative                60 points                                 350-399 points:        C
Book Review                         60 points                                    300-349 points:     D
Oral Interpretation                 60 points                                 299 or less:   F

Interview Report                                60 points                                                                   
Paper Revision                     60 points

Writer’s Portfolio       60 (includes Writer's Statement)

Attendance/Participation    38 points (+ up to 3 bonus points)
Rough Drafts                         20 points (+ up to 4 bonus points)

Writing Center:                      21 points (+ up to 5 bonus points)  
Point Total:                         511 points possible  

Click here for a Score Sheet that you can download and print to keep track of your progress in this class.

Classroom Conduct: This is a community of learners, and one of my most important jobs is to protect that community. However, I cannot do it alone. Many of the policies for this course handle related concerns, such as being prepared for class and attending regularly and on time, which are marks of respect for your classmates, for your instructor, but most of all for yourself. 

Daily conduct within the class is a mark of respect as well, so I expect each student in this class to treat each other and me with courtesy. If courtesy and respect break down, I will assume my role as protector of the class and ask the offender to leave for the day or even for longer if circumstances require it.

Attendance Policy: In order to participate fully in the course, you must attend class regularly and on time, complete all assignments, and cooperate thoroughly and to the best of your ability in small groups. My policy is simple: you receive a point for every day you attend and participate in class, up to 38 points. If you attend 39 times, you get one extra point, and if you attend 40 times (ALL classes) you get two extra points. These are EXTRA points, not figured into the regular point total for the course. This means that it’s your decision to attend or not, but after you miss three times, one point per absence will be deducted from your final score. On the other hand, if you attend regularly, you can earn some extra points.

Late Attendance:  I take attendance at the start of class. If you come to class after I finish calling roll, you receive an "L" (late) for attendance that day. Three "Ls" equal a point. If I don't see you come in, it is your responsibility to notify me that you are present in the class that day so I can change your absence to a "late." Don't expect me to change absences to lates a week or a month later.

Late Papers:  Out of courtesy to those who work hard to meet the due date, I don't accept late papers, except under penalty. That means you lose 2 points for every day your paper is late, including weekends. But in extreme cases and with notice in advance of the deadline, we can arrange for an extension without penalty. Yes, you should call me at home the night before: 463-7535; after 8 p.m. leave a message on my voice mail. There is no way on the planet you cannot leave me a message at my office, the department office, or home.

Special notes: If you cannot reach me directly, I accept notes in my mailbox or through e-mail, timed before the end of class. (I check both frequently.) Although I accept notes in my mailbox, I don’t accept papers in it unless you and I have made arrangements in advance. Student papers have disappeared from my box, so don’t put one there and think that I have received it. The paper is your responsibility until you know I have it. Advance arrangements with me notify me to check for that paper. To help make your paper more secure, ask someone in the office for an envelope.

Plagiarism (Stealing):  Think of ideas as property, like your stereo or clothing. If someone doesn't ask your permission to take or use your things, you might get upset, maybe even upset enough to press charges. The academic community feels just the same way about ideas. So if you borrow someone else's ideas and words without saying whose they are, I--and your other professors--will object. Penalties can range from failing the particular plagiarized paper to failing the course. If you are unsure about whether you might be plagiarizing, ask me before you turn in your paper for a grade. I will be glad to show you how to avoid plagiarism. Also, see your Undergraduate Course Catalogue's section on "Academic Integrity" for the complete University explanation of the matter.

Writing Center: Located at 218 Eicher, (across from Wallace Hall on Grant St.), the Writing Center is a free university service to students who want help with their papers: from brainstorming approaches to an assignment to figuring out how to organize and develop ideas to assisting you with editing and proofreading. It helps most when you come in during the early stages of writing. The Writing Center can save you a lot of time, effort, and swearing. Plus, you earn points for attending . . . 

If you visit the Writing Center for tutorial sessions of 20 minutes or more during the semester, you can earn up to 21 points. By 20 minutes, I mean 20 minutes, not 10 or 15, so make sure you have 20 minutes' worth of concerns and questions about the assignment or your draft for your tutor. He or she will not make up things for you to do just so you get the time in. And for you classroom lawyers, I also mean that each session be a minimum of 20 minutes; you can't add 10 minutes from a 30 minute session to a 10 minute tutorial to get the equivalent of two 20 minute sessions.  

Click here for COURSE SCHEDULE

Course Assignments          LSE Goals  English Ed          NCTE       INTASC

*Boldface numbers refer to the entire cluster of assignments under the capitalized headings in row one.  Non-boldface letters specify or add objectives as relevant.

 II. Assessment Items/Assignments

 1) Reflective essay or Cover Letter about processes or improvements in writing.   

 2) Essay that develops a thesis with supporting arguments and details: book review.

 2) Essay that develops a thesis with supporting arguments and details: book review.