Course Syllabus

Composition I: Syllabus [Download PDF]

Syllabus for ENGL 1110 Writing Studio Sections

Contact Information:

The following instructors will be leading writing studio groups during the spring 2011 semester. You will be assigned one of these instructors at the first class session.

NAME	STUDIO DAYS	CONTACT INFORMATION
Paul Wise	MW	paul.wise@utoledo.edu
Alex Derosa	MW	alexandra.derosa@utoledo.edu
Carol Parsil	MW	carol.parsil@utoledo.edu
Sheri Benton	TTH	sheri.benton@utoledo.edu
Carrie Kemmett	TTH	carrie.kemmett@utoledo.edu
Dusty Miller	TTH	dusty.miller@utoledo.edu

Required Text:

Aaron, Jane. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. Concise Edition for the University of Toledo. New York: Pearson, 2011.

General Education Statement:

This course fulfills a General Education and Core Curriculum requirement at the University of Toledo.

Course Description:

The Writing Studio is an innovative approach to writing instruction. Instead of meeting in a traditional classroom setting, students will meet in small groups with instructors to work on their writing. Students will spend the semester engaging in multiple writing tasks associated with their lives in various communities. The focus will be on responding effectively to texts that we read, situations that we encounter, and ongoing public arguments. We will also participate in fulfilling the mission of a major research university—contributing new knowledge that our democracy can use to better the lives of its citizens.

Portfolio Requirements (60% of final grade for course):

Portfolio Process:

In order to include a document in the course portfolio, a student must accomplish each of the following steps for every portfolio paper:

The student must submit a one page proposal to their studio instructor and peer group outlining 1) the topic they have chosen to write about; 2) the purpose for the text; 3) the audience in which the text will be written; and 4) the genre chosen for the text. The student will receive feedback on their proposal and, after it is accepted by the instructor, the student can begin the project.
Once a draft is completed, the student should post the draft to the group discussion board at least 72 hours (three days) prior to their next studio meeting. The draft will be reviewed by the studio instructor and the peer group and comments/suggestions will be offered at the studio meeting.
NOTE: Students must successfully complete two genres before attempting the documented text mentioned below under Portfolio submission.

The following is a recommended guideline for when drafts of each paper should be submitted; drafts can be submitted earlier to the group. Your studio instructor reserves the right to revise these guidelines based on student feedback and/or performance:

A draft of the first genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday January 27, 2012
A draft of the second genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday February 17, 2012
A draft of the third genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday March 16, 2012
A draft of the fourth genre (if applicable) should be posted for review by no later than Friday April 6, 2012.

Portfolio Submission:

Students will submit a portfolio of their writing for review during their time in the Writing Studio. The following are the requirements for the writing portfolio:

Must consist of at least 5,000 words in final draft form, which translates into roughly 18 to 20 finished pages;
Must display the ability to write competently in three to five different genres. Each paper in the portfolio must be from a different genre (i.e. two papers from the same genre cannot be included) unless instructor approval has been given;
At least one of the genres should be a documented text using MLA format and incorporating a number of sources with a sustained argument that results in a paper of at least 5 pages; and
The portfolio must include a statement of self-assessment (maximum three pages) that has not received feedback from the group instructor or peers (see below for more information)

Upon submission, the student’s group instructor will review the portfolio and recommend either submission or revision. If submitted for review, the portfolio will be read by a team of three studio instructors (not including the group instructor) who will decide upon a grade for the portfolio.

The final course portfolio must be submitted for review by no later than Monday, April 16. All portfolios must be submitted to the student’s Epsilen Learning Matrix. If the portfolio receives a grade of NC prior to April 16, the student can revise and resubmit the portfolio based upon comments from the evaluation team for resubmission by no later than Monday, April 16.

Statement of Self-Assessment:

Each portfolio should include a statement of self-assessment that analyzes your work in the course this semester. In this statement, you will argue for why you feel you have satisfied the course objectives of ENGL 1110 and why you are ready to move on to either a second semester composition course or to advanced writing classes here at the university. You can cite any text you have completed for this studio class in support of your argument. As a reminder, the following are the course objectives for ENGL 1110, as listed on the syllabus.

Establish a purpose and create a thesis in their own writing and be able to identify purpose and thesis in the writing of others;
Demonstrate the knowledge of how genres influence reading and writing by producing writing in multiple genres and by incorporating various tools of arrangement, including the successful use of organizational patterns, transitional and topic sentences, and audience awareness;
Develop arguments and perspectives through the successful incorporation of research, examples, details, rhetorical appeals, and counter-arguments;
Demonstrate effective revision skills (global revision, editing, and proofreading) that leads to clear, concise and error-free prose;
Develop critical reading skills, including the ability to locate rhetorical features in a text, identify the audience for a given text, and identify strengths and weaknesses in an author’s arguments and reasoning; and
Locate credible scholarly sources, evaluate the reliability of those sources, and effectively use those sources within a text, including the ability to cite sources in-text and develop a works cited page.
Use electronic environments for the drafting, revising, editing, and submitting of texts.
Demonstrate the ability to critique their own and peers’ writing by understanding the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process

Choose at least three and no more than five of the objectives listed and explain, in detail, how you have satisfied those objectives through your course work. Pay particular attention to referencing portfolio papers in your letter. The letter should conclude with a broader reflection of your strengths and weaknesses as a writer.

Assignments

Throughout the studio courses, students will be introduced to different genres of writing, either through instructor presentation or group work. Students will select different genres in which to work and will choose topics arising from current coursework, university and community events, and personal interest in which to write. A list of possible genres is listed below; more information about these genres can be found on the online Studio Bookshelf and/or by speaking with your group instructor. Instructors may also offer some specific assignments to help students during their time in the studio.

List of Genres:

Memoirs                             Letters                                  Reviews
Commentary                      Proposals                               Reports
Creative NonFiction            Argument Essays                    Editorial
Personal Narrative              Informational Document          Rhetorical Analysis
Feature Article                    Manifesto                              Multimedia Project

Genres that Cannot be Included in Final Portfolio:

Poetry “How to” Documents (Auto)Biography
Fiction Writing (mystery, short story, science fiction, et) unless approved by the instructor

Studio Work (40% of your final grade—20% for face to face and 20% for online work)

Your active participation in this writing class will help you to achieve the goals of this course and accomplish your personal academic goals. Therefore, your regular attendance and informed and active participation are expected. Feedback from instructors and peers will occur during the studio sessions; a lack of participation in these sessions will delay the revision of your work. In the event that you must miss class, you should notify your group instructor by voice mail, email, or in writing. However, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed and to complete all work. If a situation arises where your absence will result in missing multiple sessions, contact your group instructor as soon as possible to make them aware of the situation. Finally, be aware that all work in this class is public, and will be read by the instructor and fellow students. Please keep this in mind when writing texts.

Your studio room will be evaluated by your studio group instructor. Studio work encompasses both face to face participation and online participation. For face to face participation, students must come prepared to each session with a document or item to discuss. Documents can include pre-writing, proposals, first drafts or revised drafts. Items can include documents, videos, visuals, or descriptions of events in which the student wishes to use for a writing project.

In addition, studio work includes attending each session having read any texts posted by fellow group members, preparing a list of comments/questions/suggestions based on the provided peer review sheet, and actively participating by offering advice to writers on how to strengthen their texts. Students who miss studio sessions will find their studio work grade affected; students who miss more than two studio sessions may fail the course.

For online participation, students must submit all proposals and drafts to the group discussion board following the guidelines outlined under Portfolio Requirements and must participate in any online discussions/reviews of texts as dictated by the studio instructor. Students who regularly do not post documents will find their studio work grade affected.

In addition, students are highly encouraged to make use of the additional resources offered by the studio environment, including writing tutors, physical textbooks and documents, and online handouts on different writing genres, skills, and strategies.

Accessibility Statement

Anyone who has a accessibility issue (physical, speech, hearing, etc) that may influence their performance in this class should talk to me about this as soon as possible and should have the disability documented with the Office of Accessibility and Disability Resources (x4981 or http://utoledo.edu/studentaffairs/accessibility/).

Plagiarism:

Representing the work of another as your own, whether through direct copying, unattributed paraphrasing, or inadequate citation practices constitutes plagiarism. If you do not know how to give credit where credit is due—and that is a legitimate concern—see me and we will review the process. A paper that is plagiarized in whole or in part will receive an F, the student producing it will receive an NC, and the paper will be turned over to the administrative supervisors to determine further action. Plagiarism is grounds for dismissal from the University. The policy on plagiarism can be found in detail on pages 25 and 26 of The University of Toledo catalog.

Submission of Work:

It is expected that all student work submitted for a grade will be typed in a standard 12-point font, double spaced, and with one-inch margins.

Grading:

In order to pass this course, your final grade must be a C or above. Grades below a C are recorded as No Credit (NC). Although an NC will not affect your GPA, Composition I will have to be repeated until a grade of C or better is achieved.

All portfolios will be read with the University of Toledo ENGL 1110 Learning Outcomes in mind. Portfolios will be read holistically, and each portfolio will be assigned a letter grade as a whole. Students will receive written feedback on the portfolio after evaluation.

The following is an overview of what portfolio texts must show in order to achieve the grade listed:

“A” Portfolio	Displays a strong ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in all of the portfolio texts. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in the writings of others. Demonstrates an advanced knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. Develops strong arguments in texts, including exceptional use of rhetorical appeals, supporting information and counter-arguments. Displays strong writing with little to no errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays exceptional researching skills, including the use of reliable sources and an exceptional understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with little to no errors in these areas.
“B” Portfolio	Displays an above-average ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in most of the portfolio texts. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in most of the writings of others. Demonstrates above-average knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. A few texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops good arguments in texts, including above-average use of rhetorical features, supporting information and counter-arguments. Some texts contains errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays above-average writing with some errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays above-average researching skills, including the use of mostly reliable sources and an above-average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with some errors in these areas.
“C” Portfolio	Displays an average ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in some of the portfolio texts, but contains some significant flaws. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in the some of the writings of others. Demonstrates an average knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. At least half of the portfolio texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops arguments in texts, but arguments contain significant flaws, including average to below-average use of rhetorical features, supporting information and counter-arguments. About half of the texts contain errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays average writing with some errors (including some significant errors) in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays average researching skills, including the use of some reliable and questionable sources, and an average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with some significant errors in these areas.
“NC” Portfolio	Displays a very limited ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in most of the portfolio texts, containing significant flaws in many of these texts. Displays extreme difficulty when attempting to identify purpose and thesis in the writings of others. Demonstrates little knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. Most of the portfolio texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops few organized arguments in texts, including little to no understanding of the use of rhetorical appeals, supporting information and counter-arguments. Texts contain several errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays below-average writing with many significant errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays below-average researching skills, including the use of mostly questionable sources and a below-average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with many significant errors in these areas.

In addition, students must demonstrate the ability to satisfy the following learning outcomes through their work in the studio groups:

Develop critical reading skills, including the ability to locate rhetorical features in a text, identify the audience for a given text, and identify strengths and weaknesses in an author’s arguments and reasoning; and
Use electronic environments for the drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and submitting of texts.
Demonstrate the ability to critique their own and peers’ writing by understanding the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process

Composition II: Syllabus [Download PDF]

Syllabus for Composition II (ENGL 1130, 1140, and 1150) Writing Studio Sections

Contact Information:

The following instructors will be leading writing studio groups during the spring 2011 semester. You will be assigned one of these instructors at the first class session.

NAME	STUDIO DAYS	CONTACT INFORMATION
Paul Wise	MW	paul.wise@utoledo.edu
Alex Derosa	MW	alexandra.derosa@utoledo.edu
Carol Parsil	MW	carol.parsil@utoledo.edu
Sheri Benton	TTH	sheri.benton@utoledo.edu
Carrie Kemmett	TTH	carrie.kemmett@utoledo.edu
Dusty Miller	TTH	dusty.miller@utoledo.edu

Required Text:

Aaron, Jane. The Little, Brown Compact Handbook. Concise Edition for the University of Toledo. New York: Pearson, 2011.

General Education Statement:

This course fulfills a General Education and Core Curriculum requirement at the University of Toledo.

Course Prerequisite:

Successful completion of ENGL 1100 or ENGL 1110 with a grade of C or higher.

Course Description:

Portfolio Requirements (60% of final grade for course):

Portfolio Process:

In order to include a document in the course portfolio, a student must accomplish each of the following steps for every portfolio paper:

The student must submit a one page proposal to their studio instructor and peer group outlining 1) the topic they have chosen to write about; 2) the purpose for the text; 3) the audience in which the text will be written; and 4) the genre chosen for the text. The student will receive feedback on their proposal and, after it is accepted by the instructor, the student can begin the project.
Once a draft is completed, the student should post the draft to the group discussion board at least 72 hours (three days) prior to their next studio meeting. The draft will be reviewed by the studio instructor and the peer group and comments/suggestions will be offered at the studio meeting.
NOTE: Each text completed for the studio must incorporate research from outside sources, including primary, secondary, and online texts; appropriate in-text and end-of-text citation should be displayed in at least one of the papers. Papers that do not incorporate information from outside sources cannot be included in the final portfolio.

A draft of the first genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday January 27, 2012
A draft of the second genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday February 17, 2012
A draft of the third genre should be posted for review by no later than Friday March 16, 2012
A draft of the fourth genre (if applicable) should be posted for review by no later than Friday April 6, 2012.

Portfolio Submission:

Students will submit a portfolio of their writing for review during their time in the Writing Studio. The following are the requirements for the writing portfolio:

Must consist of at least 7,000 words in final draft form, which translates into roughly 22 to 26 finished pages;
Must display the ability to write competently in three to five different genres. Each paper in the portfolio must be from a different genre (i.e. two papers from the same genre cannot be included) unless instructor approval has been given;
At least one of the genres should be a documented text using a consistent citation format and incorporating a number of sources with a sustained argument that results in a paper of at least 8 pages; and
In addition to the finished pages, the portfolio must include a statement of self-assessment that has not received feedback from the group instructor or peers (see below for more information)

Statement of Self-Assessment: Each portfolio should include a statement of self-assessment that analyzes your work in the course this semester. In this statement, you will argue for why you feel you have satisfied the course objectives of ENGL 1110 and why you are ready to move on to either a second semester composition course or to advanced writing classes here at the university. You can cite any text you have completed for this studio class in support of your argument. As a reminder, the following are the course objectives for ENGL1130, 1140, and 1150, as listed on the syllabus.

Create a thesis that establishes claims for both a main argument and intermediate arguments that support it.
Be able to distinguish between background, primary, and secondary research sources, and use those sources appropriate for the genre they are writing and the audience for whom they are writing
Write collaboratively with others, while remaining responsible for their own contribution to a group project
Use at least two different citation styles, and identify the disciplines for which they are appropriate.
Apply advanced methods for integrating outside sources into an argument, such as endnotes, footnotes, appendices, or similar references.
Use electronic environments to collaborate on texts, conduct peer review, and produce texts appropriate for publication in electronic forums.

Assignments

List of Genres:

Commentary                                       Proposals                                             Reports
Ethnographic Study                            Argument Essays                                Process Analysis
Primary Research Report                    Informational Document                    Rhetorical Analysis
Feature Article                                    Manifesto                                            Multimedia Project

Genres that Cannot be Included in Final Portfolio:

Poetry “How to” Documents (Auto)Biography
Fiction Writing (mystery, short story, science fiction, et) unless approved by the instructor

Studio Work (40% of your final grade; to be determined by studio group instructor)

Accessibility Statement

Plagiarism:

Submission of Work:

It is expected that all student work submitted for a grade will be typed in a standard 12-point font, double spaced, and with one-inch margins.

Grading:

All Composition II courses are graded A-F.

The following is an overview of what portfolio texts must show in order to achieve the grade listed:

“A” Portfolio	Displays a strong ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in all of the portfolio texts. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in the writings of others. Demonstrates an advanced knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. Develops strong arguments in texts, including exceptional use of rhetorical appeals, supporting information and counter-arguments. Displays strong writing with little to no errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays exceptional researching skills, including the use of reliable sources and an exceptional understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with little to no errors in these areas.
“B” Portfolio	Displays an above-average ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in most of the portfolio texts. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in most of the writings of others. Demonstrates above-average knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. A few texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops good arguments in texts, including above-average use of rhetorical features, supporting information and counter-arguments. Some texts contains errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays above-average writing with some errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays above-average researching skills, including the use of mostly reliable sources and an above-average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with some errors in these areas.
“C” Portfolio	Displays an average ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in some of the portfolio texts, but contains some significant flaws. Is able to identify purpose and thesis in the some of the writings of others. Demonstrates an average knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. At least half of the portfolio texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops arguments in texts, but arguments contain significant flaws, including average to below-average use of rhetorical features, supporting information and counter-arguments. About half of the texts contain errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays average writing with some errors (including some significant errors) in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays average researching skills, including the use of some reliable and questionable sources, and an average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with some significant errors in these areas.
“D” Portfolio	Displays a very limited ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in most of the portfolio texts, containing significant flaws in many of these texts. Displays extreme difficulty when attempting to identify purpose and thesis in the writings of others. Demonstrates little knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. Most of the portfolio texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops few organized arguments in texts, including little to no understanding of the use of rhetorical appeals, supporting information and counter-arguments. Texts contain several errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays below-average writing with many significant errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays below-average researching skills, including the use of mostly questionable sources and a below-average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with many significant errors in these areas.
“F” Portfolio	Shows no ability to establish a purpose and create a thesis in most of the portfolio texts, containing significant flaws in many of these texts. Is not able to identify purpose and thesis in the writings of others. Demonstrates poor knowledge of the rhetorical features of genres though organizational patterns, paragraph development, and audience awareness. Most of the portfolio texts contain problems in either understanding or use of genres or above-mentioned rhetorical features. Develops almost no arguments in texts, including little to no understanding of the use of rhetorical appeals, supporting information and counter-arguments. Texts contain several errors in logic and/or rhetorical fallacies. Displays poor to incomplete writing with many significant errors in grammar, word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, and mechanics. Displays poor researching skills, including the use of almost no sources or questionable sources and a below-average understanding of the conventions for in-text and end-of-text citation, with many significant errors in these areas.

In addition, students must demonstrate the ability to satisfy the following learning outcomes through their work in the studio groups:

Develop critical reading skills, including the ability to locate rhetorical features in a text, identify the audience for a given text, and identify strengths and weaknesses in an author’s arguments and reasoning; and
Use electronic environments for the drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and submitting of texts.
Demonstrate the ability to critique their own and peers’ writing by understanding the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process.

Composition Writing Studio

Course Syllabus

Composition II: Syllabus [Download PDF]