Course Policies

Class 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 reading(s) and writing assignments, 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.

You are expected to attend a minimum of one, one-hour tutoring session per week in the Lanzit Center (302 PMH) with a Writing Center/EN 103 tutor; these sessions are in addition to any other formal tutoring work you may be do (such as with the Ladd Hall Writing Center, HEOP, or Student Academic Services). You should create a clear agenda for each meeting with your EN 103 tutor. You and the tutor will fill out a brief report of the work you have covered during these sessions. In addition, I will assign four informal writing prompts about tutoring due throughout the semester. Participation in EN 103 Tutoring is part of the "Fourth Credit Hour" for the course and accounts for 20% of your final grade. Tutoring will be assessed as follows

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 also discourteous to me and your classmates. Please avoid it. The Withdrawal Deadline for the Fall semester is Friday, April 8, 2008. 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.

Grading

All course work--graded and ungraded--must be completed by the beginning of class on the due date listed on the course syllaweb. 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 :

     A+, A Distinguished work
     A-, B+, B Superior work
     B-, C+, C Satisfactory work
     C-, D+, D Passing, poor-quality work
     F Failure, no credit earned

Final Grades are based upon the following:

Writing Course Placement After EN 103

Upon successfully completing EN 103, students typically 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.