The Craft of Writing

ENGL 101-63
Fall 2001
MWF 10-10:50  Business 1118

Instructor:  Richard Fine
Office:  302A Anderson House (913 W. Franklin St.)
Contact: 828-4483 or rfine@vcu.edu

Overview of the Course:

English 101 is an intensive writing and thinking course which will progress through three stages: first, an emphasis on generative sources of language and thinking, with freedom of form and content; followed by a stronger emphasis on form and genre (meditative, persuasive, argumentative, and interpretive), stressing rethinking your own writing and responding to others’ writing; and finally, careful, critical thinking and revising in response to judgment and feedback from the community of writers that will form as the course progresses.

You will write short pieces and/or papers every week. A community of writers will be established as a result of sharing and collaboration on developing pieces of writing in small feedback groups. Dialogue, demonstrations, and one-to-one teacher/student conferences will be used to share course knowledge, explore course techniques, and help you with the development of your ideas and papers. In-class writing, journal writing, and dialogue will be used to demonstrate writing processes and techniques for sharing and giving feedback so that the community will become a supportive and encouraging force in the development of its writers.

After exposure to and participation in stages of this course, you will be expected to:

--Recognize that writing is thinking, not just the product of thought;
--Generate ideas and insights on topics of interest, as well as those that may not be of interest;
--Develop an awareness and control of writing processes;
--Adjust writing to needs of particular audiences;
--Recognize the main point/focus of your own and others’ writing;
--Locate and remedy problems in reasoning and logic;
--Identify some basic rhetorical forms and genres;
--Recognize the importance of feedback in the development of pieces of writing;
--Distinguish between revising (a re-thinking, re-seeing process) and copy-editing (a "mechanical" process);
--Revise writing into coherent and workable paragraphs, as well as longer units;
--Write clear, natural, lively sentences;
--Correct problems in grammar, spelling, usage, and punctuation.

· Elbow and Belanoff, A Community of Writers
· Cooper and Hodges, Guide to Composition and Rhetoric
· Hacker, A Writer's Reference

For your journal, also purchase a loose-leaf notebook which you can divide into three sections, plus a supply of ruled, loose-leaf paper.

Course Requirements:

· Portfolio paper #1: 5-6 page meditative essay in which you draw from your own experience to produce a piece of writing in which narrative and reflection are sustained by a clear focus that is relevant to an audience.

· Portfolio paper #2: 5-6 page persuasive essay in which you observe and analyze an advertisement to produce a focused piece of writing that exercises deductive reasoning skills and demonstrates an understanding of the difference between interpretation and opinion.

· Portfolio paper #3: 8-10 page argumentative essay in which you observe and analyze a "found object" of your own choosing to produce an essay with a clear main claim and line of argument that are supported by correctly documented outside sources.

· Portfolio of revised essays: In the thirteenth week of the semester, you will be asked to turn in a collection of your revised versions of papers 1-3. A portfolio group will evaluate the portfolio on a pass/fail basis. A failing portfolio constitutes a failing grade in the class.

· Paper #4: 4-6 page interpretive essay in which you observe and analyze a literary text to produce an essay with a clear main claim and line of argument.

· Journal: The course journals will be divided into three sections: (1) your writing experiences and writing processes, (2) the collaborative process of your peer group and your role in it, and (3) freewriting. The journal should be a separate notebook—not combined with class notes¾ because it will be collected and evaluated in the sixth and thirteenth week of class.

· Sharing and Responding: As writers learn to re-envision their work and discover their process through sharing their own work with and responding to the works of other writers, you will at times be asked to write responses on the work of your peers. These responses will utilize the language put forth in class and be courteous as well as thoughtful. These responses will be evaluated.

A final note: Each main assignment (draft of portfolio paper and portfolio itself) should be accompanied by a cover letter in which the writer addresses issues of process specific to the assignment.

Grading:

· Portfolios: 50%
· Sharing and Responding and class participation: 15%
· Process journals: 15%
· Working drafts and other assignments: 10%
· Interpretive essay: 10%

A final note on grading: Participation counts; unwillingness to participate actively in workshop activities will lower students’ final grades. Along with instructor’s responses/comments, working drafts will be designated ( )-strong, ( )-satisfactory, and ( )-weak.

Attendance Policy: Attendance and timeliness are essential for the successful completion of this course. There are no excused absences. In accordance with departmental policy, if you miss more than nine class meetings, you will fail the course. If you miss more than three class meetings, your final grade will be adversely affected. Students also may be considered absent if frequently late for class. Absence from class does not relieve students of responsibility for completing all course work. Because of the workshop structure of the course, there can be no "make-up" work.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: Because our work will be at times collaborative, issues of integrity arise in this class. You should not copy or print another student’s work without permission. Whenever you use material from another source, you must credit this source clearly, whether you are quoting directly, summarizing, or paraphrasing. In other words, respect the work of others and in no way present it as your own.

SECTION 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require that VCU provide an "academic adjustment" and/or a "reasonable accommodation" to any individual who advises us of a physical and/or mental disability. If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an academic adjustment or accommodation, arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience.

Classroom Behavior: You are expected to attend class with punctuality, proper decorum, required course materials, and studious involvement.

Weekly Syllabus and Important Deadlines:

Week 1 (August 27-31)
Focus: Generating writing and building community

Stage 1 Inward Analysis/Meditative Essay
Portfolio Paper 1 (weeks 2-5): Meditative Essay

Week 2 (September 3-7)
Focus: Generating writing for 5-6 page meditative essay

Week 3 (September 10-14)
Focus: Developing narrative through image

Week 4 (September 17-21)
Focus: Taking control of voice

Week 5 (September 24-28)
Focus: Re-seeing and rethinking: revision and pushing for quality

Stage 2 Outward Analysis/Persuasive Essay
Portfolio Paper 2 (weeks 6-8): Persuasive Essay

Week 6 (October 2-5)
Focus: Generating writing for 5-6 page persuasive essay

Week 7 (October 8-12)
Focus: Persuasion continued

Week 8 (October 15-19)
Focus: Mid-term evaluations

Stage 3 Outward Analysis/Argumentative Essay
Portfolio Paper 3 (weeks 9-12): Argumentative Essay with research element.

Week 9 (October 22-26)
Focus: Analyzing the elements of argument

Week 10 (October 29-November 2)
Focus: Beginning writing for 8-10 argumentative essay and beginning research

Week 11 (November 5-9)
Focus: Argumentative essay continued and documentation

Week 12 (November 12-16)
Focus: Portfolio Revision

Stage 4 Outward Analysis/Interpretive Essay
Paper 4 (weeks13-15): Interpretive Essay

Week 13 (November 19-23)
Focus: Catch-up and portfolio turn in

Week 14 (November 26-30)
Focus: Elements of text analysis and beginning writing for 4-6 page interpretive essay

Week 15 (December 3-7)
Focus: Interpretive essay continued

December 5 Interpretive Essay (and Cover Letter) Due

Final Exam Period: Friday, December 14 8-10:15 am in our classroom

Portfolio and interpretive essay return; final Writing Skills Questionnaire and reflective response to WSQ; departmental writing and editing exam.