Writing 140 Course Policies
Course Description: Writing 140 is a class designed to teach critical thinking and reading skills, as well as teach intertextual argumentation. Out of class assignments will focus on helping you learn how (or develop your existing ability) to develop a clear and complex thesis, and convince a skeptical or undecided reader of the validity of your argument. In so doing, we will focus on process, critique, and craft.
Required Materials: Writing 140 Course Book, USC Writing Program; Computer, e-mail, & internet access; A Writer’s Reference, Diana Hacker; Two-pocket folder; Funds (for photocopying, renting movie[s]); Bluebook, 8½ x 11 inches br>
The Link: USC has created a unique writing environment; you will be learning how to write for college in this class, which is linked with a Social Issues class designed to teach you the basic academic skills needed to consider controversial issues in contemporary society. While this link reinforces the idea that what you learn in one class is tied to the knowledge gained in another, this class is distinct from your sociology course. I am not an expert in the PSYC 155 course to which this writing course is linked, nor will Professor Jellison pretend that he is a specialist in composition or rhetoric. If you have questions about the PSYC course, it’s important that you address them to Professor Jellison.
Furthermore, your grades for these two courses are unrelated. For example, you may earn a “C” on your PSYC midterm and an “A” on the third essay in this course. Conversely, you may excel in the PSYC course while failing this course. Both classes may assign grades using different rubrics. I will strive to make clear my standards for grading as will, I am sure, Professor Jellison.
Attendance: You have three “freebie” absences, which means that you may miss class three times without any reason whatsoever and there will be no negative impact on your participation grade. If you miss more than three classes, your course grade will suffer -- directly, in the form of your participation grade, and indirectly, in that you will have missed important material that will help hone your writing. Missing a scheduled conference counts as a course absence. An absence is only considered excused in the event of a serious medical or personal emergency, or for pre-excused participation in a university-sponsored event or religious holiday.
If you plan to miss class due to a religious holiday, you must notify me in writing BEFORE THE END OF THE SECOND WEEK OF THE SEMESTER. If you will be participating in a university-sponsored event, you must provide written notification to me NO LATER THAN one (1) week in advance. Failure to properly notify me will result in an unexcused absence. Further, arriving more than ten (10) minutes late to class will count as 1/3 of an absence, so please arrive on time to class. If you miss two weeks (six classes) or more for any reason, I strongly recommend withdrawing from the course, as the likelihood of receiving a passing grade is slight under such circumstances.
Conferences: You are required to attend one-on-one conferences with me to discuss your writing. We will meet in conference approximately five times this semester, and attendance at your scheduled conferences is mandatory. Failing to schedule or appear for a conference will result in a penalty against your paper grade. Notifying me after the scheduled conference time of your inability to appear at the conference will not excuse you from attending. One of those conferences may be scheduled as a group tutorial, a conference with myself as well as several other students. You will receive a grade based on your preparedness for each conference which will count as ancillary assignment grades.
Office Hours: I allocate two hours a week for meeting with students. Students must schedule a time to meet with me. If several students have scheduled meetings with me during one office hour session, I will turn away walk-ins. The best way to ensure a meeting time is to e-mail me with a time request, but you may also talk to me before or after class to set up a meeting . If for any reason I am forced to be absent, I will either verbally notify students during regular class time, or I will leave written notification at my desk.
Classroom Decorum: I don’t expect you to share the opinions or beliefs of your fellow classmates, nor do I expect you to view the world as I do. However, I do expect you to show respect to the class at all times. In addition to discussing contentious issues respectfully, please demonstrate respect for your peers by limiting your classroom talk to discussing the issues presented in the daily lessons, and by TURNING OFF YOUR CELL PHONES, BEEPERS, AND ALL OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES before (not during) each class. Modern technological conveniences are wonderful, I agree. But if you can’t demonstrate the necessary good manners to turn off your electronic devices, I will ask you to leave class – and this will NOT be an excused absence. Violations of the rules of classroom decorum will negatively affect your classroom participation grade. Such violations include (but are not limited to):
* Reading the Daily Trojan (or any other non-course related material) in class.
* Talking while another student is presenting a point or question, or talking while I am lecturing.
* Sleeping in class.
* Speaking offensively to another student in class.
I hope that you are appalled to see this list on the syllabus of a college-level course, but my previous experience indicates that some students are prone to committing these errors. If you know that you are prone to such behavior, I suggest that you either change said behavior, or that you drop this class. Please also note that these violations will negatively affect your class participation grade whether or not I call attention to your misbehavior. In other words, your grade will suffer if you sleep in class even if I ignore you sleeping and don’t make any effort to wake you up.
Course Assignments:
Papers: You are required to write five (5) thesis-driven argumentative essays, each of which will be five to six pages in length. Keep ALL DRAFTS, NOTES, AND PRE-WRITING for EVERY paper until after the semester ends, as you will need these item for the portfolio at the end of the semester. You will also turn in a typed rough draft for each paper; failure to turn in a typed rough draft on time will result in me not accepting your final draft. I will provide due dates along with the assignment sheet for each essay; generally, you will have two weeks, or ample time, to complete each assignment. Each paper will adhere to MLA style, as well as the following specifications:
* Type all papers on a word processor.
* Double space each essay.
* Use one inch margins (NOT 1.25“ margins, which is the default for most programs) all the way around.
* Use 12-point Times New Roman font.
* Do not italicize, enlarge, underline, or embolden your title.
* Do not add extra spaces between paragraphs, after your heading, or after your title.
* Do not use cover sheets.
* Turn papers in using the folder required for this class (final draft in left pocket, all else in right pocket).
* Staple each final draft.
* Include your last name and page number on the upper right hand of each page in the “header”.
* Spellcheck each draft before printing it.
* Include all prewriting materials, rough drafts, and preliminary work in the right pocket of your folder when the paper is due.
* Include a photocopy of all sources cited, paraphrased, or utilized as background material in the right pocket of your folder when the paper is due. If your source is an assigned text in this class or the PSYC class, you need only provide page numbers, not photocopies.
* Each paper must be a minimum of four (4) pages or it will not receive a passing grade.
Final Portfolio: In lieu of a final exam, you will turn in two papers selected from the above-mentioned five which you will have substantially revised since I have returned them to you with a grade. These two essays, plus an in-class essay involving a topic from the Spectrum Speakers Series, will constitute your final portfolio. Please be aware that, as substantial revisions to portfolio submissions are expected, your portfolio grade is not guaranteed to be the same as the initial grades for the two papers. The portfolio is graded as a culmination of your learning in this class.
Spectrum Speakers Series: You are required to attend two (2) lectures over the course of the semester as part of this series. These will take place at 7:00 PM in Bovard Hall and last a little over an hour. The lectures are organized around the theme of “Art and Social Commentary”. The first is scheduled for Wednesday, January 30th featuring Maya Lin, and the second should fall on Wednesday, March 20th and will feature Bill Viola. Please bear in mind that either the dates or the speakers may change; I will notify you as soon as I receive confirmation of these lectures.
Ancillary Assignments: We will produce individual and group work in class -- and, occasionally, out of class -- that may be collected. In addition, I will administer unannounced quizzes which, like any in-class work, you will not be able to make up if missed.
Late Work: You are responsible for turning in all of your assignments on time; if an assignment is not in my possession at the beginning of the class period, your work will receive a late penalty. I will deduct one full grade for each class period that a paper is late (this appertains to papers turned in after the first five minutes of class on the due date, so manage your time wisely). For example, if you turn in a paper of “B+” quality on Wednesday when it was due on Monday, your paper grade will be lowered to a “C+“. Illness is only excused as a reason for late work if you provide a note from a physician.
Please note that experiencing difficulties with computer equipment is NOT an acceptable excuse for late work -- computer glitches and failures will likely happen if you wait until the last minute to complete your work, so plan ahead accordingly. If you know that you will miss a class when an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to deliver the assignment to class; have a friend or classmate bring your work to class, or contact me IN ADVANCE so that we can work out a time for you to turn in your work. If you must turn in work outside of our established class period, take it to the front desk of the Writing Program office. They will date-stamp the assignment, and place it in my mailbox. DO NOT leave work for me on my desk or in any other location in my office, as I will have no record of when you turned this work in.
Plagiarism: See pages 17-20 of your course book for a full discussion of this issue. Plagiarism encompasses turning in work that is not your own; even if you present one sentence not written by you as your own work, you’ve plagiarized. Though I will assume that none of you would attempt such a desperate measure, I will point out to those who may become tempted to plagiarize that this is a serious offense -- and not as difficult to detect as you might think. A plagiarized paper will receive an automatic grade of “F”, and further disciplinary action may be taken, including suspension or expulsion from the university. Please don’t insult your classmates or me by trying to turn in work that is not your own. Not only does this type of action qualify you as a dishonest person, but it also provides sad evidence that you are not ready for university work. If you are at any time unsure as to whether your actions constitute plagiarism, or if you don’t understand this concept, ask me – you are always responsible for the integrity of your work.
Grade Determination: This is often the section of the syllabus that students find most informative, as grades are obviously of importance to most students. However, you must remember that having earned “A’s” on high school writing is not equal to earning “A’s” in a college-level course; don’t be discouraged if you don’t receive the grade you would have expected from your high school teacher. Bear in mind that, if you’ve worked hard on drafts as well as revisions, your efforts will likely make themselves known on the final portfolio. If you participate in class and diligently complete all of your work, you can help your grade by acquiring strong marks for participation and for ancillary assignments. Conversely, if you skip class, write your papers the night before their due date, neglect ancillary assignments, or otherwise lack diligence, the likelihood of your earning a high grade is very small. Though process serves as an integral component of writing, your grade will ultimately determined by product. In other words, there’s no fair and consistent way to measure the amount of effort that a student sets forth in his or her writing, so the grade you earn will reflect the quality of your finished product: your final drafts. Your grade is derived by the following formula:
Five out-of-class essays (first=5%, all others=12% each) -- 53%
Portfolio -- 30%
Class participation and attendance -- 10%
Ancillary assignments -- 7%
Extra Credit: I have established several chances for extra credit. Please format all extra credit assignments using the same guidelines as stipulated on this form for your five out-of-class essays. All extra credit points apply to your ancillary assignment grade, and I will accept no extra credit assignments after their due date, regardless of any excuse. Only one submission of each extra credit assignment will apply toward your ancillary assignment grade. The extra credit assignments are as follows:
* Two-page essay on why writing is important for your chosen career (4 points). Due February 4.
* One-page summary & review of one Writing Center “Grammar, Style, and Skill” workshop (4 points). Due April 12.
* Five pieces of advice for writing that would be applicable to any WRIT 140 student (3 points). Due April 19.
Class Website: I have established a website for this class for your convenience. The address for the site appears at the top of this handout. The site will serve as a repository of important information, such as essay assignments, a class calendar, and links to other helpful sites. Some class information will only be available on this website, so make sureNOW that you know where you can access the internet. If you do not have your own internet access and have any difficulty in finding an on-campus computer lab, contact me before the second week of class – otherwise, you’ll be held accountable for the information on the website.
Writing Center: The University’s Writing Center is on the third floor of Taper Hall. This is a place where you can get help with your writing, and you won’t have to pay to do so. I wholeheartedly encourage you to visit the writing center, as the consultants there are specially trained to deal with students from Writing 140 classes (but please keep in mind that you may use the facility for help in writing for your other classes, too). Whether you feel that you are a strong writer or a poor one, the writing center can help you improve your writing. Though walk-ins may sometimes obtain consultations, it’s best to call ahead and schedule an appointment. The phone number for the Writing Center is 213-740-3691.
Disability Accommodations: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 AM –5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The DSP phone number is 213-740-0776.
Open Door Policy: Please feel free to contact me whenever you need to discuss a paper or assignment, or if there is a problem you are experiencing with the course. The best way to reach me is by arranging to visit me during my office hours. Please keep in mind that, if you contact me via electronic mail, your e-mail will not reach me immediately and I will not likely answer immediately – I have many demands on my time outside this classroom. Unless you have no other alternative, I don’t recommend leaving a note for me in the Writing Program office, as there is no guarantee that I will receive communication this way. Also, please be aware that, in emergency or unexpected situations, I can only work with you if I know what is transpiring. If you become ill or an emergency arises, let me know BEFORE you must miss class. If you leave me “out of the loop”, I’ll be less able to take any helpful action.
Links
Ms. Strong's Homepage
Writing 140 Homepage
Email: kathy_strong@hotmail.com
