English-1010-handbook PDF

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English 1010 Introduction to Academic Writing

Student Handbook Instructor Edition Spring 2007

Editors Brady Edwards Michael Terry Nicole Butler Camille Harris Jacqueline Harris Chelsi Linderman Curtis Newbold Sarah Sisson Laura Vernon

English 1010 Staff USU English Department Utah State University Logan, Utah

Director of Writing Dr. Kathryn Fitzgerald Ray B. West 204F 797-0235 [email protected]

Assistant Directors of Writing Michael Terry Ray B. West 412 797-2747 [email protected] Brady Edwards Ray B. West 411 797-0266 [email protected]

Assignments Writing improves with practice, so the more you write, the more proficient you will become. You will also improve your writing by reading models of the types of writing that you will complete. Expect intensive reading and writing in this course, and be assured that if you actively engage in these assignments, your writing will improve.

Required Texts Inaddition to this handbook, you must obtain the following textbooks: • The New Century Handbook, 3rd edition, Christine A. Hult and Thomas N. Huckin • Rereading America, 6th edition, Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle • Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Patillo Beals

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Contents I. Goals and Objectives Philosophy Essays The Citizen Scholar Student-Instructor Expectations

4 6 7 8

II. General Information Writing Center and Computer Lab University Policy and Procedure Grading Grading Scale

9 10 12 13

III. Daily Class Schedule Daily Class Schedule

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IV. Assignment Descriptions and Components Family Narrative School Board Project Media Analysis Rereading American Images Rereading American Culture Writing Journal

33 36 41 44 45 48

V. Course and Textbook Information Accessing Syllabase Online Classes Your Past as a Writer English Plagiarism Statement Rationale for Textbook Library Resource Guide

49 50 51 52 55

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Goals and Objectives What You Gain by Taking English 1010 Philosophy English 1010 is a general education requirement that prepares students to meet the University Studies Objectives of the Citizen Scholar. As a preparatory course for university study, English 1010 will teach you processes and techniques to become a proficient writer as you seek to discover and assert ideas in a university setting. In this class you will learn how to develop your ideas; work through multiple drafts; evaluate papers in collaboration with your peers; develop information literacy skills through personal research; and read, think, and write critically by engaging in an ongoing academic discussion. Upon completion of English 1010, you will have developed the following skills: Critical Thinking, Reading, & Writing “A critical thinker cultivates the ability to imagine and value points of view different from her own – then strengthens, refines, enlarges, or reshapes her ideas in light of those perspectives” (Rereading America 2). The purpose of thinking, reading, and writing critically is to “shape, not merely absorb, knowledge” (2).

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Group work and peer review sessions. Library research and information literacy development. Reading assignments. Graded essays.

Writer-Based Writing Writing is – or should be – for yourself. Writer-based writing allows you to: • Formulate, explore, and express your ideas. • Find and develop your academic voice and style. • Think independently. • Generate ideas. • Analyze your past experiences. • Develop writing fluency. • Practice using writing rituals as learning tools. • Be creative and enjoy writing.

Critical thinking is a set of skills and practices that help you better understand your subject. Critical thinkers: • Analyze and judge. • Listen and discuss. • Recognize and respect differences of opinion. • Understand their personal biases. • Improve their understanding of others’ ideas. • Engage in synthesis and praxis.

Audience-Based Writing After writing to explore ideas for yourself, the next step is to consciously shape and develop your ideas for a larger audience. Audience-based writing requires you to: • Identify your audience and their needs and biases. • Anticipate your audience’s beliefs or attitudes. • Research and evaluate information based on what you and your audience need to know. • Find, evaluate, and organize information in response to your audience’s needs.

Critical readers enter a dialogue with the text. They: • Actively engage with and question the text. • Establish literal meaning. • Evaluate meaning. • Determine analytical meaning. • Compare personal experience with the text. All of the assignments for this course require critical thinking and reading. Your assignments will include: • Free writes and in-class discussions. 4

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Audience-based writing helps you to: Make your writing interesting and understandable. Evaluate trustworthiness of written sources. Respect other points of view. Develop the ability to comment on another’s writing. Recognize problems in your own writing and research and get assistance from peers, your instructor, the Writing Center, and librarians. Practice revision. Use academic English fluently.

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Knowing when and where to get assistance in the research process from your instructor, peers, and librarians.

Collaboration Skills Research shows that students learn more when they actively utilize the information they’re learning. In group work, you will: • Talk and write about writing. • Respond critically and constructively to others’ writing. • Engage in learning rather than passively sit through a lecture. In order to ensure that your group works well you need to: • Understand and respond to group dynamics. • Develop good communication skills. • Respect other group members and their opinions. • Pause to evaluate the group’s progress and adjust when necessary. • Encourage input from all group members.

You will learn audience-based writing through: • Graded essays. • Peer responses. • Reading and responding to model essays. Information Literacy Information literacy is the process of turning information into meaning, understanding, and new ideas. You develop information literacy skills throughout the writing process by: • Asking questions and being curious about your subject. • Determining what you and your audience need to know about your subject for better understanding. • Becoming aware that there are different types of information sources, which serve different purposes. • Evaluating the reliability and claims of sources. • Focusing and refining your questions based on the information discovered and evaluated as part of the critical thinking process. • Developing new understandings based on the information you find and integrating this new understanding into your writing.

Part of your group work will include peer reviews, in which you will share your drafts with peers and: • Receive constructive compliments and criticism on your writing. • Practice clear communication skills. • See models of student writing. • Identify and explain writing problems. • Articulate the writing process. You will learn collaboration skills through: • Writing Center consultations. • Instructor conferences. • Group projects. • Peer responses. • In-class group work. • Collaborative presentation.

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Essays You will apply all the writing skills you learn in this class to a series of essay drafts. Assignments have been carefully constructed to allow you to develop and use critical thinking and reading skills, writer-based and audience-based writing, information literacy, and revision skills. Writing to Explore Academic writing is sometimes perceived as dry and tedious. The purpose of these assignments is to offer a venue for exploring your interests and expressing your creativity and originality. You will: • Consider your unique perspective on various issues. • Develop and write about topics that are important to you. • Develop your writing style and voice.

Writing to Inform When writing to inform, you learn to gather information and then focus, organize, and present it clearly to your readers. You will: • Focus your investigation by asking good questions and being curious about your topic. • Use research to shape and organize your ideas. • Become proficient in a topic by consulting outside sources, including reference librarians and your instructor, and by gathering first-hand information. • Write in a readable and engaging style. • Share knowledge with others. • Define key terms. • Give necessary background information by answering a reporter’s “wh” questions (who, what, where, when, why).

Writing on the Spot This class will afford you opportunities to free write about readings and assignments. These free writes will facilitate discussion and may help you brainstorm for possible paper topics. In your free writes you will: • Recall the reading assignments and connect them to the current lesson. • Brainstorm possible topics for major assignments. • Demonstrate your knowledge of course material.

Writing for Understanding Your writing should demonstrate that you understand many aspects of a topic or situation. In English 1010 you will learn to: • Demonstrate and explore a problem. • Identify various viewpoints. • Be aware of your cultural eye (why you think the way you do). • Develop an informed opinion. • Evaluate the reliability of claims and sources. • Identify and avoid logical fallacies.

Writing Under Pressure College courses often ask you to demonstrate what you’ve learned by writing a timed essay. English 1010 will teach you organizational skills and strategies that will help with assignments and essays in other classes throughout your university career.

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The Citizen Scholar The goals and objectives of English 1010 help students meet the general education requirements outlined by the University: “The mission of the undergraduate education at Utah State University is to help students develop intellectually, personally, and culturally so that they may serve the people of Utah, the nation, and the world. Utah State prepares citizen-scholars who participate and lead in local, regional, national, and global communities. University Studies is an integral part of every student’s university experience – both in lower-division and upper-division. A solid general education foundation, combined with concentrated study in a major discipline and interdisciplinary studies, provides the breadth and depth of knowledge that qualify Utah State graduates as educated citizens.

5. develop a capacity for self-assessment and life-long learning. “By introducing ideas and issues in human thought and experience, general education courses help students achieve the intellectual integration and awareness needed to meet the challenges they will face in their personal, social, and professional lives. University Studies courses emphasize how knowledge is achieved and applied in different domains. Collectively, they provide a foundation and perspective for: 1. understanding the nature, history, and methods of the arts, humanities, and natural and physical sciences; 2. understanding the cultural, historical, and natural contexts that shape the human experience; 3. interpreting the important cultural, socioeconomic, scientific, and technological issues of the diverse global community in which they live.

“The University Studies program is intended to help students learn how to learn - not just for the present but also for the future. No individual can master all, or even a small portion, of society’s knowledge, but students can learn the basic patterns used to obtain and organize information so that they can discover or recover knowledge. University Studies involves a series of interrelated educational experiences that stimulate and assist the students to become self-reliant scholars and individuals. The ultimate objective is that general and discipline-specific education complement each other in helping students to: 1. understand processes of acquiring knowledge and information; 2. reason logically, critically, creatively and independently and be able to address problems in a broad context; 3. recognize different ways of thinking, creating, expressing, and communicating in a variety of media; 4. understand diversity in value systems and cultures in an interdependent world;

“A university education prepares students to work and live meaningfully in today’s rapidly changing global society. Together, general and discipline-specific education helps students master the essential competencies that make this goal possible. These competencies include: 1. reading, listening, and viewing for comprehension; 2. communicating effectively for various purposes and audiences; 3. understanding and applying mathematics and other quantitative reasoning techniques; 4. using various technologies competently; 5. working effectively both collaboratively and individually.” (Utah State University General Catalog 2005-2006 49)

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Student-Instructor Expectations Toward a Civil and Productive English Classroom Environment Student-Instructor Partnership Much of the work instructors and students do will be in class, therefore the student-instructor partnership is central to a positive learning environment. Both the instructor and the student are responsible for maintaining a classroom atmosphere of courtesy and respect. Students and instructors can maintain a productive learning environment by developing positive interpersonal relationships. If at any time the student or teacher feels that the relationship needs improvement, she or he should request an appointment to discuss the perceived problem. The university expects that participation in collaborative class management will contribute to students’ development as citizen-scholars.

What Students Can Expect from the Instructor Instructors can help create a productive learning environment when they: • Show courtesy and respect for students regardless of their sex, race, religion, age, or sexual orientation. • Offer assistance to students when needed. • Listen attentively when students have the floor. • Listen to suggestions for improving the class. • Arrive on time and prepared. • Inform students of changes in the syllabus. • Work to solve problems if they arise. Behaviors that Promote Success and Quality Work Students who succeed and produce quality work in English 1010 and other university classes: • Read the English 1010 Student Handbook and the instructor’s addendum thoroughly. • Read the assignments carefully, critically, and on time. • Participate in class discussions. • Complete all assignments on time. • Participate in peer review sessions. • Offer collaborative assistance to others. • Come to class on time and with a positive attitude. • Take notes during class discussions. • Write down instructor statements about assignments and homework.

What Instructors Can Expect from Students Students are responsible for their own learning and can help create a productive learning environment when they: • Show courtesy and respect to classmates and the instructor regardless of sex, race, religion, age, or sexual orientation. • Ask for assistance when needed. • Listen attentively when another student or the instructor has the floor. • Listen to suggestions for improving the class. • Arrive on time and prepared. • Make note of changes in the syllabus. • Work to solve problems if they arise.

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General Information The Writing Center and the Computer Lab How can the Writing Center help you? Writing Center tutors are trained to help you improve your writing skills by giving you feedback on your writing assignments. You may go to the Writing Center at any stage of the writing process, from collecting ideas to narrowing your focus to making final revisions. A Writing Center consultation helps you: • Discuss your writing with an objective, trained peer. • Gather ideas for your next stage of writing. • Improve your individual writing process.

How do you make an appointment? Sign up for appointments on the Writing Center’s webpage: http://writing.usu.edu. Please be on time for your appointment. If you need to cancel your appointment, please delete your name from the schedule so another student can take your time slot. Writing Center Hours Ray B. West 104 http://writing.usu.edu By appointment: Monday-Friday, 9:30-3:30 Evening also by appointment: Monday-Thursday, 7:00-9:00 pm

What happens during a consultation? The Writing Center is not a place for you to drop your paper off for a quick proofread just before it’s due. Rather, you should expect to engage in an interactive session with your consultant. Typically, a tutor will ask you to read your paper aloud and then guide you through the process of analyzing and revising your work. You will make your own notes and revisions on the paper. Bring specific questions and concerns to your session to help make it more worthwhile. Each consulting session lasts for twenty-five to thirty minutes.

Ray B. West Computer Lab When you enroll in English 1010, part of your class fee pays for your use of the computer labs in the basement of Ray B. West, rooms 101 and 102. This lab includes access to word processing and graphic design software, as well as e-mail and Internet access. As an English 1010 student, you automatically have an account in this lab and are allowed 200 printouts. The lab assistants can help you access and use your account and any of the features of the labs.

Who will be helping you? Writing Center tutors are qualified graduate and undergraduate students from many disciplines. The tutors are: • Friendly, helpful, and smart. • Responders. • Problem-finders. Writing Center tutors are not: • Your teacher. • Editors. • The author of your paper.

Computer Lab Hours Ray B. West 101 & 102 Monday-Thursday: 8:00 am-10:00 pm Friday: 8:00 am-5:00 pm Saturday: 10:00 am-6:00 pm Sunday: 3:00 pm-10:00 pm

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University Policy and Procedure English Department and University Policies Regarding Non-Productive Behavior The following behaviors are considered “misconducts” and are violations of University Standards as outlined by The Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at Utah State University (2002), Article V, Section V-3.B: “Obstructing or disrupting instruction, research, administration, meetings, processions, or other University activities including its public service functions on or off campus, or authorized non-University activities on University premises. This includes aiding, abetting, or encouraging another person to engage in such activity” (7). “Wrongfully inflicting physical or mental duress, harm, or abuse upon another person, including but not limited to verbal abuse, threats and intimidation, sexual violence, arson, and murder” (23). If an instructor finds that a student’s behavior obstructs or disrupts classroom instruction or out-of-class conferences, the instructor may: • Give an oral warning. • Request a conference with the student. • Give a written warning. • Request a mediator. • Ask the student to complete a behavior contract. • Refer the student to the Counseling Center. • Ask the student to meet with the University Discipline Officer. • Ask the student to meet with the VicePresident of Student Services. These methods will be used as the instructor sees fit, bearing in mind that the goal during a dispute is quick, fair, and amicable resolution of the difficulty whenever possible.

University Standards of Academic Integrity — “The Honor System” Each student has the right and duty to pursue her or his academic experience free of dishonesty. The Honor System is designed to establish the high level of conduct expected and required of all Utah State University students. The Honor Pledge — To enhance the learning environment at Utah State...