42.102.216 College Writing II Spring 2009 Syllabus
Dr. Bridget Marshall:  bridget_marshall@uml.edu

Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs. 9:30 to 10:45 in O’Leary 414 and by appointment. Phone: 978-934-4179

Required Texts:

• The Seagull Literature Reader 2005 ed. by Joseph Kelly, published by Norton (available in the bookstore)
• Tranced by Bob Clyman (I will provide this for you)
• One ticket to the Merrimack Repertory Theater performance of Tranced running 2/12/2006 - 3/8/2006.  You must see it before Thursday, February 26th.  Tickets are $10.

In College Writing II, we will build on the skills you learned in College Writing I.  We will read, think about, discuss, and write about sophisticated texts and ideas to develop your analytic and interpretive skills.  Although our readings will be of the sort that you would expect from an English class (short stories, plays, poems), the skills of reading, interpreting, discussing, and writing that we will hone are ones that are useful in every discipline and every career.

There are six major essays for this class, each with multiple drafts. Here is a general outline of the essay assignments:

#1        Comparative Analysis: Comparison of issues in the Common Text and another text 
#2        Performance Review: Analysis and review of the performance of the Common Text play
#3        Substantial Revision: Revise one of the two previous essays, incorporating research material
#4        In-Class essay exam: Covers all readings in the class
#5        Poetry:  Analysis of any poem(s) we’ve read
#6        Substantial Revision: Revise one essay not previously revised, incorporating research material

Instructional Resources and Disability Accommodations:
The Centers for Learning and Academic Support Services provide many resources, including tutoring in writing: http://class.uml.edu/.  In accordance with University policy and the ADA, I will provide accommodation for students with documented disabilities.  If you have a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services: McGauvran 363, phone: (978) 934-4338 as soon as possible. This documentation is confidential.

A note on classroom conduct:
In this class, and in all classes at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, students are expected to exhibit professional and respectful behavior that is conducive to a mutually beneficial learning environment in the classroom.  Examples of inappropriate behavior include: text messaging, listening to music, cell phone use (other than the campus alert system), late arrivals, early departures, use of laptops for other than class purposes, disrespectful comments or behavior, intentional disruptions, failure to follow faculty directives. Students in violation of these standards may be asked to leave class and/or be referred to the Dean of Students for disciplinary action.

Class Requirements: 

• Attendance is required.  This is not a correspondence course.  You can fail the course for not attending class, even if you do all the writing.  You have two “free” absences to use as you need.  For every class beyond those two that you miss, your final grade for the class will be lowered one grade step.  (I.e., if you have a “B” for the class, but have missed 4 classes, you will receive a “C+” for your final grade.)  Also included in your attendance are your conferences with me.  There are several scheduled conferences that you must attend.  I usually cancel at least one class during conference week.  If you miss a conference without contacting me before you miss it, it counts as an absence. 
• I expect that all students will read the assigned text for the day it is due. If it seems that students are not keeping up with the readings, I may give reading quizzes to add further incentive.
• Good classroom citizenship is required.  Good classroom citizenship goes beyond just “participation” in the sense of raising your hand a lot.  It includes sharing your thoughts and actively listening to the thoughts and comments of your peers.  Please be considerate of your classmates and make the classroom a space where everyone can speak their mind.  As a courtesy to everyone in the room, please turn off your cell phone phones, text messaging devices, and other technological distractions before class begins.
• Revising is required.  The multiple draft process does not mean that you write a bad essay and then fix your typos; always write your best.  Substantial revision is part of your grade.  I will look at your drafts to see that you have expanded and refined your writing through the process.  In order for me to see this, you must save every draft. When you turn in a final essay, you should also include all drafts, notes, peer response, etc. associated with that essay.  You should also save final papers that I return to you with comments.  When you turn in your two substantial revision papers (essays #3 & #6) you MUST turn in the previous paper (with my comments) that you are revising.
• Everyone taking College Writing II must attend a performance of the Common Text Play, Tranced at the Merrimack Repertory Theater.  The play runs from 2/12/2009 – 3/8/2009.  You are responsible for purchasing a ticket to and attending a performance of the play during its run.  I urge you to purchase your ticket as soon as possible, as tickets will sell out.  You can choose your own preferred performance date, but you must see it before our class meeting on Thursday, February 26th. 
• You should maintain electronic copies of every final paper you turn in until after you have received a final grade for the course.  This will be a backup in the rare event that a paper goes missing.  Also, on occasion, I may ask you to e-mail me an electronic copy of your paper.  I strongly recommend that you save your papers in multiple places – establish a backup device, or e-mail copies of papers to a free g-mail account or your UML e-mail account.
• You will be required to share your writing and respond to the writing of your peers.  We do this to stress the point that you are not just writing for a teacher or for a grade; we are writing for a community of writers.  Become comfortable with sharing your writing; this is a necessary step in improving your writing and becoming part of the academic community.  I expect that all students will respond to each other’s writing with useful and respectful feedback.
• Remember that it is your responsibility to keep track of things.  By “things,” I mean drafts of essays that have a tendency to get lost in computers or dorm rooms, assignments from class days that you missed, and class work that hasn’t been submitted.  I make a note of everything that is turned in.  If you are unsure if you have any late or outstanding assignments, you can certainly ask me; however, I will not chase you down begging you to turn something in.

Evaluation and Grading: 

Grading writing is my least favorite aspect of the course, however, grades are necessary, not only to the University, but also in many cases in order to motivate students.  Here is some general information about what is graded and how I tabulate a final grade:

• Please keep in mind the attendance policy (already detailed in the “Requirements” section above).  Absenteeism is the leading cause of poor grades in College Writing.  Your final grade is reduced by a grade step (i.e., an A goes to an A-, an A- becomes a B+) for every absence beyond two (2).  Extensive, excessive, or habitual lateness, or arriving in class unprepared to work can also be considered an absence.

• I do not accept papers via e-mail or on a disk.  Any paper that is due is due at the beginning of class.  You should arrive at the beginning of class with a printed copy of your paper.  Late papers are subject to a grade deduction.  I do not provide comments on late papers.
• You will receive “checks” or “zeroes” for small writing assignments and drafts.  Occasionally, I record a “check plus” for a particularly outstanding effort on a draft or small assignment.  If you don’t have a writing assignment or draft on the day it is due, or your draft seems seriously lacking in effort, you will receive a zero for the assignment.
• For the final draft of each essay, you will earn a number of points that can be converted into a letter grade.  I will record this final number (not a letter grade) for each essay assignment.  These numbers are not the only indication of your grade; completing drafts, class work, and peer work is also included in the tabulation of your final grade.  Please keep in mind that every draft counts; your final grade for the course will include all checks, zeroes, and number grades.   Here is a breakdown of the elements of the final grade:

  Essay 1 (Common Text Comparison):  10%
  Essay 2 (Performance Review): 10%
  Essay 3 (Substantial Revision): 20%
  Essay 4 (Exam): 10%
  Essay 5 (Poetry):  10%
  Essay 6 (Substantial Revision): 20%
  Classroom Citizenship: 10%
  Short Writings and in-class writing: 10%

• If you have a concern about an individual essay grade or a question about your standing in the class, please schedule an individual conference to meet with me outside of class.  You can see me at your regular conference, drop by my office hours, or schedule an appointment at another time.
• A final word on the unpleasant part of grades, specifically the bad ones:  If you are determined to do only the minimal amount of work and get the minimum passing grade, this much is nonnegotiable: you are not eligible for a passing grade of D unless you have attended at least 11 of 14 weeks worth of classes, and completed 90% of the assignments.

Semester Schedule

If you miss a class, you are still responsible for what was due on the day(s) you missed and on the day you return; consult the syllabus (or a classmate, or me) if you have missed or will miss a class. 
In the event of weather emergencies, you can find out if the University is closed by calling 978-934-2121 or checking the UML website.  If the University closes and class is cancelled, keep reading and writing; we will attempt to cover both class sessions’ materials on the day we return.  If there is an exam scheduled or a paper due on a day that the University closes, we will have the exam or turn in the paper on the day we return to class.

About Academic Honesty:

All University policies on academic dishonesty apply to all assignments in this course. As explained in the University’s official policy, academic dishonesty includes:

Cheating - use, or attempted use, of trickery, artifice, deception, breach of confidence, fraud, or misrepresentation of one's academic work.
Fabrication - falsification or invention of any information or citation in any academic exercise.
Plagiarism - representing the words or ideas of another as one's own work in any academic exercise.
Facilitating dishonesty - helping or attempting to help another commit an act of academic dishonesty, including substituting for another in an examination, misrepresenting oneself, or allowing others to represent as their own one's papers, reports, or academic works.

If you plagiarize or cheat on an assignment, you will receive an “F” for this course, and you are subject to other discipline (including expulsion from the University) at the discretion of the instructor and the University. Please keep in mind that even if you write some part or even “most” of the paper, if some portion of the paper is copied from another source without proper attribution, (i.e., if you “only plagiarize a little”) you will still get an “F” for the course.  Don’t plagiarize at all.

Unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism.  You must cite all sources that you use, including online sources.  Also, remember that “using” a source includes DIRECTLY QUOTING, PARAPHRASING, AND USING IDEAS from any source.  There is nothing wrong with “getting help” from other writers, just be sure to acknowledge it by using quotation marks or author/page citation appropriately.  Please take the time to give proper credit to the work of other authors.  It is a matter of respect – for yourself, for other authors, for your classmates, and for me.

I know that it is easy to find information and indeed whole papers on the internet.  You should know that it is also easy for me to find these sources.  If I suspect you’ve done this, I will take the time to find the source, and there is every likelihood you will be caught.  Please don’t waste your time or mine by plagiarizing a paper.  If you’re having difficulty with a writing assignment, please talk to me before the day it is due.

Some Final Words of Advice:

Come to class prepared.  Bring the course text every day.  Bring a draft – a printed, readable copy – on days when writing is due.

Because there is writing due most days, you need to work hard to keep up with it.  The multiple drafts, in-class peer response, and comments from me will happen on a pretty tight timeline.  I urge you now – at the beginning of the semester – to set aside regular (ideally, daily) time to read and write for this course.  Developing good study habits now will serve you well as we get to the busiest time of the semester, when you have longer papers due for me, not to mention the lab reports, exams, and other obligations to all of your courses.

Save everything you write for this class.  When I collect a paper, I expect you to turn in all drafts, short assignments, and peer response work associated with this essay.  On occasion, I will ask you for an electronic copy of your essay, so be sure to keep all essays saved on your computer, and ideally on a backup disk or the University’s system.  Practice good organization and save everything.

Back up your computer files by saving to a disk, burning a CD, saving to the University network, or another safe and secure source.  You can even e-mail papers to yourself.  Whatever you do, keep your backups up to date.  This is good advice for all of your academic work, not just the writing you do for this course.  Computers break, get stolen, get locked in cars and dorm rooms, and are otherwise unreliable.  You are responsible for backing up your system.  Please do it.