Syllabus

ENGL150: The Process of Composition

Saint Louis University //// Fall 2012

ENGL150-S01: MWF 8:00 AM -- Xavier Hall, Room 128

ENGL150-S02: MWF 9:00 AM -- Xavier Hall, Room G14

Mr. David B. Olsen, instructor

E-mail: olsendb@slu.edu

Office: Adorjan Hall, Room 209
Office Hours: Mondays 10:00-12:00, and by appointment

Purpose

One of the most persistent myths about writers like novelists and historians is that they are isolated figures who, after that first brilliant creative spark, toil away furiously in their offices or cabins or something, and then finally – weakened by the ordeal – they crash back into their chair with a glorious sigh: “Done!” And that’s how books are made. Right? No. The reality for every writer is that the transition from brain to screen to printer is comprised of many smaller steps in between – and is also quite social, in fact, from editors who make suggestions to publishers who find the right audience to the public themselves (who, let’s face it, are the ones who actually have to read these things). Any single written work is therefore the product of a rich process that includes invention, discovery, drafting, and editing. And although we will be producing final papers in this course, we will be as concerned with how we get there as what we end up with.

Objectives

To transform personal experience, careful observation, and critical analysis into concise and effective documents.

To treat writing as a process through which we come to discover more about our subjects and ourselves.

To fully engage with the many stages of writing, including planning, shaping, drafting, discussing, and revising.

To practice and hone the technical skills of Standard Written English, which include proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and organization.

Required Text

MyLabsPlus online writing platform and textbook (Saint Louis University edition. An access code is available for purchase at the SLU bookstore.)

Writing Assignments

All students will be required to complete four major papers in the class, as well as a number of less formal and/or in-class writing assignments. Papers will be submitted using the required MyLabsPlus online program.

As you are writing, please remember that is very important to always save your work often. Computers sometimes crash despite every available precaution, and being able to have the most recent version of a paper – even if that means saving it in an e-mail or external hard drive – is always preferable to a complete rewrite.

Reading Assignments 

There will be a specific reading assignment for many of our class periods, and it is your responsibility to both read the text and be prepared to discuss its significance within the scope of the course – preferably with written notes or questions to facilitate this process. I will often seek volunteers to speak up and respond to a text, concept, or question, but you may want to be prepared to be called on as well.

Some of our readings will come from outside of the required textbook. These will be available as PDF files through our password-protected SLU Global homepage.

Grading Standards 

Your final grade in the course is contingent upon several factors, which are broken down as follows:

Paper #1 – 15%

Paper #2 – 15%

Paper #3 – 20%

Paper #4 – 25%
Peer Review Drafts – 5%

Class Participation – 10%

Other Writing Assignments – 10%

Papers in this course will be assigned a letter grade with a value that corresponds to the University’s grade point average scale: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D = 1, F = 0.

Peer Review 

In this course, you will occasionally share your writing with your fellow students; this is an unavoidable step in the development of writers at any level. During these sessions, small groups will convene to read and comment upon the rough drafts of your essays. I will establish specific criteria and guidelines before each session. Please use these opportunities to offer pertinent criticism that will ensure a more successful paper as a result. Your comments and suggestions, though, should always be respectful and appropriate, with the idea of helping your fellow classmate with the kind of advice that you would expect. All students are required to participate (including students who are absent from class that day), although I approve some exceptions when the essay contains sensitive or personal information.

Your work may also be displayed on the monitors during class time, so that we might practice editing and revising strategies. This will only be done with your permission. Furthermore, your work may also be used as an example of student writing in the other section of this course that I am teaching, just as their work will occasionally be used in your class. I will always do this anonymously, and may make changes to the details of the piece in order to further conceal the writer’s identity.

Academic Integrity and Honesty

Students are expected to be honest in their academic work.  The University reserves the right to penalize any student whose academic conduct at any time is, in its judgment, detrimental to the University.  Such conduct shall include cases of plagiarism, collusion, cheating, giving or receiving or offering or soliciting information in examinations, or the use of previously prepared material in examinations or quizzes.  Violations should be reported to your course instructor, who will investigate and adjudicate them according to the policy on academic honesty of the College of Arts and Sciences.  If the charges are found to be true, the student may be liable for academic or disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion by the University.

At the very least, anyone who violates this policy by plagiarizing a paper in this course will receive a zero on the assignment, with no possibility for revision. In some cases, the student may also receive a failing grade for the course. If a case of plagiarism is identified at any point in the semester, I may also reexamine and reevaluate assignments that have already been turned in for a grade in the class. We will be addressing the proper citation of sources early in the semester, so there should be little confusion regarding the incorporation of research and quotations into your papers.

Attendance

Attendance in this course is mandatory. You are allowed to miss three class periods (i.e., unexcused absences), after which your final grade will be lowered by one half of a letter grade for each subsequent absence. For instance, if you should receive a B in the course but have missed class four times, you will receive a C+. This is a policy endorsed by both the College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English. Students with more than six unexcused absences will receive an Absence Failure (AF) as their final grade in the course.

Excused absences include religious holidays, medical illness or emergency (with appropriate documentation), and participation in Saint Louis University athletic events. Athletes who know they will be missing certain classes will need to provide official documentation from their coach and a schedule of events by no later than the end of the first week of classes.

Excessive tardiness will not be endured. If a student is tardy three times, it will be considered an absence.  Likewise, a student who is more than 15 minutes late for class will also be considered absent. I will be taking roll at the beginning of each period, and students who arrive late are responsible for seeing me after class to confirm their attendance.

Because university courses require both a physical and a mental presence, sleeping in class will not be tolerated. Students who routinely fall asleep during class will be contacted and encouraged to find ways to rectify the problem. If this persists, students may be marked absent for subsequent class periods when this occurs.

Smartphones, Tablets, and Computers 

With the increasing presence of personal technology in our classrooms comes a greater risk for distraction and diversion. It is my policy that any student who is observed using their phone will be marked absent for that day. This includes talking and text messaging. (To not be intellectually present and engaged in a class discussion is to be absent from class, in my opinion.) I approve of the use of a computer in the class for note-taking or for classroom activities and projects. However, students observed to be using a computer for other reasons (browsing the internet, e-mail, Facebook, other homework, etc.) will also be marked absent.

Writing Services and English Language Center

I encourage you to take advantage of the writing services in the Student Success Center; getting feedback benefits writers at all skill levels. Trained writing consultants can help with any writing, multimedia project, or oral presentation. During the one-on-one consultations, you can work on everything from brainstorming and developing ideas to crafting strong sentences and documenting sources. These services do fill up, so please make an appointment!

For more information, to make or cancel an appointment call 977-3484 or visit:
 http://www.slu.edu/writingservices.xml.

Help is also available at the English Language Center, where tutors are specialized to work with second-language concerns.  They work with any international student, undergraduate or graduate, who wishes to seek assistance. In one-on-one consultations and workshops, our ESL writing coaches provide feedback and offer strategies to improve your writing at every stage, from brainstorming for ideas to polishing final drafts. We also offer workshops and individual assistance in other language-related areas, including TOEFL test-taking strategies, multi-media projects, grammar, research, and conversation skills.

For more information, to make or cancel an appointment contact Christian Rayner at 977-3052 or visit http://www.slu.edu/x49411.xml

Late Papers 

Papers should be turned in to me via MyLabsPlus by the hour and date specified for each assignment. Any paper that is late will be docked one half of a letter grade for each day that it is late. If you know you will be absent on a due date, you may turn in your paper to me before the day it is due. I have listed these dates on the syllabus. If any of these deadlines should change at any point in the semester, I will make the revision very clear during class time in addition to a written confirmation via e-mail.

Course Content Disclaimer

In this course, students may be required to read text or view materials that they may consider offensive. The ideas expressed in any given text do not necessarily reflect the views of the instructor, the English Department, the Writing Program, or Saint Louis University. Course materials are selected for their historical and/or cultural relevance, or as an example of stylistic and/or rhetorical strategies and techniques. They are meant to be examined in the context of intellectual inquiry of the sort encountered at the university level.

Students With Special Needs – Disability Services

In recognition that people learn in a variety of ways and that learning is influenced by multiple factors (e.g., prior experience, study skills, learning disability), resources to support student success are available on campus. Students who think they might benefit from these resources can find out more about:

      Course-level support (e.g., faculty member, departmental resources, etc.) by asking your course instructor.

      University-level support (e.g., tutoring/writing services, Disability Services) by visiting the Student Success Center (BSC 331) or by going to www.slu.edu/success.

Students who believe that, due to a disability, they could benefit from academic accommodations are encouraged to contact Disability Services at 977-8885 or visit the Student Success Center. Confidentiality will be observed in all inquiries.

Course instructors support student accommodation requests when an approved letter from Disability Services has been received and when students discuss these accommodations with the instructor after receipt of the approved letter.

Assignment Due Dates (and Other Significant Events)   

The following due dates are tentative and subject to change based on unique or unforeseen circumstance as they develop over the course of the semester. Any changes will be promptly addressed both in class and via e-mail. 

Monday, September 3 – Labor Day (no class)

Friday, September 21 – Paper #1 due via MyLabsPlus by 5:00 PM

Friday, October 12 – Paper #2 due via MyLabsPlus by 5:00 PM

Monday, October 22 – Fall Break (no class)

Monday, November 12 – Paper #3 due via MyLabsPlus by 5:00 PM

Wednesday, November 21 – Thanksgiving Break (no class)

Friday, November 23 – Thanksgiving Break (no class)

Monday, December 10 – Last day of class 

Wednesday, December 12 -- Section S01: Final Exam period (8:00 AM)

Friday, December 14 – Paper #4 due via MyLabsPlus by midnight

Monday, December 17 – Section S02: Final Exam period (8:00 AM)