Course Policies

Your participation is critical to the progress of our class as a community of writers and to the development of each of you individually as a writer. Therefore, EN 103 requires that you come to every class meeting having completed that day's writing and reading assignments and prepared to contribute to class discussion and to share your writing. Good class participation depends more on the quality of your comments than on the quantity of your remarks in class. "Participation" (in-class activities, discussion, and conferences) counts as 5% of your final grade.

Writing Projects

You will write four papers during the semester.  All papers must be produced on a computer and word processor, double-spaced, with one-inch margins.   Fonts should be clear and readable, such as New Times Roman or Arial, font size 12.  Papers do not require a cover page but should include an original title, page numbers, correct citation and documentation following MLA style (when appropriate), and an acknowledgement page. Whenever possible, please try to print your papers double sided.

All assignments--especially the formal papers--are due at the beginning of the class period designated on the syllabus.   I accept no late work.   If you submit late work, it will receive a zero; I will, however, provide comments on it.  

You must complete all course assignments and papers to pass the course.

Tutoring

Participation in EN 103 Tutoring is part of the "Fourth Credit Hour" for the course and accounts for 20% of your final grade. You are expected to attend a minimum of one, 30 minute tutoring session per week in the Skidmore Writing Center (Fourth Floor, Scribner Library) with an EN 103 Writing Center tutor. To count toward your total sessions, a tutoring session must be at least 30 minutes long; only one tutoring session per day counts toward your semester total. Tutoring sessions are in addition to any other formal writing assistance you may get from me or that you already receive (such as with OP support staff or Student Academic Services). They are not a substitute for meeting with me. You can schedule a conference with me at any time during the semester to plan a paper, review elements of grammar and style, discuss a draft, or review a completed assignment.

You should create a clear agenda for each meeting with your EN 103 tutor. At the beginning of the semester, I will give you fifteen (15) Writing Center Report forms. You and the tutor will fill out this form about the work you covered during the session. After your tutoring session, you are responsible for submitting your Writing Center Report form directly to me at the start of the next class. Only tutoring sessions with Writing Center Report forms will count toward your total number of tutoring sessions.

I will also assign four informal (4) writing prompts about tutoring throughout the semester. Tutoring will be assessed as follows

Disabilities Statement

If you are a student with a disability and need any academic accommodations for EN 105, please be sure that you have made your requests for such accommodations to the Coordinator for Students with Disabilities, Meg Hegener. You will also need to provide documentation that verifies the existence of a disability and supports your request. For further information, please call Meg at 580-8161, contact her by e-mail at mhegener@skidmore.edu, or stop by the Office of Student Academic Services in Starbuck Center.

Attendance is mandatory. After four absences, you will automatically receive an "F" in the course. Lateness disrupts our classroom writing community, so please arrive promptly. Similarly, leaving the room during class is discourteous to your classmates and me. Please avoid it. If you are absent from class, please contact one of your classmates or me to find out what work you missed so that you are up to date when you return to class. The Withdrawal Deadline for the Sspring semester is Friday,16 April 2010.

Grading

All course work--graded and ungraded--must be completed by the beginning of class on the due date listed on the course syllawebs. I do not accept late papers. If you fail to complete an assignment by the due date, it will receive a zero (0). However, you must complete all course work to pass the course; therefore, you still must hand in work even if you missed the deadline. I will continue to provide comments on late work.

I follow the description of letter grades as presented in the Skidmore College Catalog, Academic Standards and Review :

Final Grades are based upon the following:

Writing Course Placement After EN 103

Upon successfully completing EN 103, students register for EN 105: Writing Seminar II the next semester. The English Department provides preregistration privileges to EN 103 students to assure they receive the section of EN 105 they want. Upon recommendation of your instructor or based on your own interest, you may also register for a writing-intensive course to complete the Expository Writing Requirement. However, preregistration is not available for these courses.

If you are an especially strong EN 103 students, with the approval of your EN 103 instructor, you can petition to have your work in EN 103 fulfill the College Writing Requirement. If you receive your instructor's endorsement, you will submit a portfolio of your EN 103 writing to a subcommittee of the English Department's Expository Writing Committee. This portfolio includes your argumentative essay, one other EN 103 paper, and a cover letter. A cover page from your instructor also accompanies your portfolio. Two members of the subcommittee will evaluate your portfolio to determine whether your EN 103 work fulfills the Expository Writing Requirement.