Course Guidelines
The
Beatles’ song “A Day in a Life,” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, begins a day typically enough for
the 1960s: the narrator reads the newspaper. But some forty years later, how
many of us read newspapers or do we depend on other media sources for the news? How we read the
news in the early 21st century is very complex.
What does
it mean to receive the news as opposed to read the news? How do we distinguish between
objective reporting and subjective commentary and analysis? How do we recognize
and respond to biases in news agencies? And how do we manage the news
information overload available to us on the Internet, our smart phones, and
email accounts? We become news literate. News literacy is the vital capacity of
consumers “to judge the credibility and reliability of the news,” according to
the new Center for News Literacy at Stony Brook University’s School of
Journalism.
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 105 requires that you come to every class meeting having completed that day's writing and reading 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" includes informal, ungraded assignments, contributions to class discussions, and conferences. I require that each of you meet with me a minimum of two times during the semester to discuss your writing; I will distribute conference sign-up sheets in class. Of course, I encourage you to meet with me more often. Participation counts as 10% of your final grade.
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. Our papers do not require a cover page, but should include an original title, page numbers, and correct citation and documentation following MLA style. Whenever possible, please try to print your papers double sided.
I encourage you to submit your papers--or other class work--electronically as an email attachment. Please follow these instructions: Put your name in the file name, such as "MyName.doc" or "MyNameP1.doc." Save your file as a Microsoft Word document, with a .doc--not .docx--extension. Microsoft Windows Vista software can't be read on different types of computers. I can't open files saved in Microsoft Works or in Microsoft Office 2007 on Window machines unless you do the following extension conversion in the "save as" tab on your "file" menu. If you are working on a new PC that saves Word files with a .docx extension, open your file in Word, go to the "save as" menu option, and then choose "Word 97-2003 document." Check to make sure your file has been saved with a .doc extension; only then will I be able to read it on my Mac.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.
At the end of the semester, each of you will submit
a portfolio, demonstrating your development as a writer and your best work.
Your portfolio will include revised versions of two (2) of our four papers,
the original versions of the two papers you have selected, and a cover letter
discussing your growth and development as a writer during the semester, your
reasons for selecting these two papers and how and why you revised them. We
will devote approximately the last three weeks of the semester to working on
the portfolios. The portfolio is due on Monday, 4 May 2009.
Attendance
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 Spring semester is Thursday, 9 April 2009.
Grading
All course work--graded and ungraded--must be completed by the beginning of
class on the due date listed on the course syllabus.
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:
| Paper #1 | 10% |
| Paper #2 | 10% |
| Paper #3 | 15% |
| Paper #4 | 20% |
| Portfolio | 25% |
| Peer Critiques | 10% |
| Participation | 10% |