T ENWR100 .17 Introduction to Writing Essays - Writing, Education

t ENWR100 .17 : Introduction to Writing Fall 2014 T/F 4:00-5:15 Instructor : Dr. Tatum Petrich Office : Dickson 135 Email : [emailprotected] Office Hours : Tues: 12:30-2:30, Classroom : UN3002 Wed: 10:45-11:15, Fri 10: 4 5-11:15 Required Texts: Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Writer's Reference . 7 th ed. Montclair State University custom edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014. Print. Isaacs, Emily, et al. Made with Words. 2 nd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print. Mullainathan, Sendhil, and Eldar Shafir. Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much. New York: Times Books, 2013. Print. Notes on the Required Texts: An earlier edition of A Writer's Reference will do, but you will need to access from our Canvas site the updated "Writing at Montclair" prefatory chapter as well as any assigned sections that have been updated for the new edition (available to read and print from Canvas). Bring our current text, either Scarcity or Made with Words , PLUS A Writer's Reference to class every day (unless otherwise noted). You are expected to have all course texts at the start of the semester; if for any reason you don't, you are required to photocopy the assigned readings from another student or the instructor and to bring the photocopied text with you to class until you get your own book(s). The library should also have our course texts available on reserve. Useful Websites : MSU First Year Writing: http://www.montclair.edu/chss/english/first year writing Bedford/St. Martin's writing aids: http://bedfordstmartins.com/rewriting C enter for Writing Excellence: http://www.montclair.edu/cwe Writing Exercises from Diana Hacker: http://www.hackerhandbooks.com/writersref Course Purpose: The aim of this course is to provide students with the instruction, opportunities for writing practice, and feedback that will enable them to become capable college writers. Good writers are not good simply because they have "natural writing talent." Rather, writers become good through practicing, learning how to assess their own writing, and using the feedback of others to effectively revise. You will have opportunities to use these and other methods this semester. This course is designed to be a rigorous, thoughtful, and engaging course in intellectual ideas of the contemporary world. For more specifics about the course and its work, see the course description in the prefatory "Writing at Montclair" chapter of A Writer's Reference (also available on Canvas). Expected Outcomes: At the conclusion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate basic competence in: Generating writing through activities such as brainstorming, freewriting, and prompt writing Generating an arguable central claim Organizing ideas around a central claim with logic and clarity Integrating the ideas of others within one's own prose through summary, paraphrase, and quotation Understanding and correcting surface-level writing problems such as sentence boundaries, punctuation, and word choice. Course Expectations: Course expectations are more fully articulated in the prefatory "Writing at Montclair" chapter in the Montclair State University edition of A Writer's Reference. Please read this chapter carefully as it is an essential supplement to your syllabus . If for any reason you are unable to meet course requirements, please come talk to me in my office hours (or by appointment) before this begins to affect your progress in class. Course Requirements : Participation: 20% Three Essays (including required CWE visits): 55% Essay 1 (3-4 pages): 15% Essay 2 (3-4 pages): 20% Essay 3 (4-5 pages): 20% Writing Portfolio (including Essay 4 [2-3 pages]): 25% Completion of Course Evaluation (see below) Explanation of Course Requirements: Attendance: As a member of this class, your input is valued, and your regular attendance is expected. In-class writing, discussion, and occasional lectures provide information and processes essential to understanding the texts and writing strong essays. In order to cover any emergenciesillness, family issues, for example, or academic obligations for other classes such as field tripsstudents are allowed three absences in this class: excuses are neither needed nor accepted. Every absence after the allowed three results in a one-third letter reduction of the final grade. For example, if you achieve a B as your final grade but have an additional absence over the allowed limit, your final grade becomes a B-. Any student who enters the classroom after class has begun will be marked as late. Coming in to class late three