Rhetoric 1311.

19/20
Contact Information

Syllabus

Spring 2013

{I chose to maintain this header throughout the syllabus to stress that this is not an English course.} Rachell Hayes, Composition I Teacher, Department of Rhetoric & Writing [email protected] Blackboard Messages {Im omitting this from my future syllabi. The mobile app doesnt notify my phone.} Office hours by appointment SUA 100 {Next semester I will be more available for office hours.}

Course Description
Welcome to Composition I, Rhetoric 1311. This course is designed to polish your writing skills and to prepare you for writing in professional, discourse communities. Passing this class means you can efficiently develop, revise, and organize ideas communicating your purpose to your intended audience. Prerequisite: A minimum ACT English score of 19, a minimum SAT I verbal score of 450, or a grade of C or higher in Rhetoric 0310 or Rhetoric 0321. Final course grades are A, B, C, or Non-Complete. You must complete this course with a grade of C or greater to progress to Composition II, Rhetoric 1312. {Official UALR course description and Composition credit policy.}

Required Materials
Joining the Conversation: Writing in College and Beyond: ISBN 9780312412159 Rules for Writers (Spiral Bound): ISBN 9780312647360 {A new handbook is required.} USB flash drive Computer with internet access and a printer (Available through campus computer labs) Writing utensils A folder or binder with pockets and loose-leaf paper

{I require my students to have a flash drive so they can back-up their work and for easy assignment portability.}

First-Year Composition Outcomes

Rhetorical Knowledge Focus on a purpose Respond to the needs of different audiences Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality Understand how genres shape reading and writing Write in several genres Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating

Rhetoric 1311.19/20

Syllabus

Spring 2013

Understand a writing assignment as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources Integrate their own ideas with those of others Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power

Processes Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proof-reading Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and rethinking to revise their work Understand the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes Learn to critique their own and others' works Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of doing their part Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences Knowledge of Conventions Learn common formats for different kinds of texts Develop knowledge of genre conventions ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics Practice appropriate means of documenting their work Control such surface features as syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling Composing in Electronic Environments Use electronic environments for drafting, reviewing, revising, editing, and sharing texts Locate, evaluate, organize, and use research material collected from electronic sources, including scholarly library databases; other official databases (e.g., federal government databases); and informal electronic networks and internet sources Understand and exploit the differences in the rhetorical strategies and in the affordances available for both print and electronic composing processes and texts

{The WPA Outcomes Statement is required in first-year composition syllabi.}

Attendance Policy
You pay good money for this college-classroom experience. I expect you to attend every class meeting. However, I understand we are all adults and things happen. If you need to miss class, send me an email in advance. The maximum limit is four absences. After four, you lose a letter grade for each class you miss. So if you miss five classes, you cannot make higher than a B. If you miss six classes you cannot make higher than a C. After six classes, you will receive no credit. Three late arrivals count as one absence. Late is fifteen minutes after class time begins. {I chose to adjust this to more direct language. I learned I need to spell things out for my students.}

Rhetoric 1311.19/20
Inclusive Learning Statement

Syllabus

Spring 2013

Your success in this class is important, and it is the policy and practice of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create inclusive learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have a documented disability (or need to have a disability documented), and need an accommodation, please contact me privately as soon as possible, so that we can discuss with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) how to meet your specific needs and the requirements of the course. The DRC offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process among you, your instructor(s) and the DRC. Thus, if you have a disability, please contact DRC, at 501-569-3143 (V/TTY) or 501-683-7629 (VP). For more information, please visit the DRC website at www.ualr.edu/disability. {This is UALRs policy for establishing inclusive learning environments for students requiring specific accommodations to make their learning experience as equivocally accessible as possible. I have decided to bold reasonable to make it very clear my accommodations are only afforded within reason of the courses limitations and requirements.}

Web Accessibility
It is the policy of UALR to make all web information accessible to students with disabilities. If you, as a student with a disability, have difficulty accessing any part of the online course materials for this class, please notify the instructor immediately. You submit all of your projects on Blackboard as well as participate in online blogs. Its important you come to me or seek out the campus resources if you face any challenges using this technology. {I had one or two students complain about how difficult Blackboard is to use and felt they were cheated out of their learning experience because they did not sign up for an online class. I just wanted to make it clear in my syllabus that we will use Blackboard, and their assignments will be submitted electronically.}

Inclement Weather
The UALR website, UALR email, and the Universitys main telephone number (501.569.3000), and the campus emergency alert system are the official means of communicating all information concerning weather-related closing. Local television and radio stations will also be notified. Weather and road conditions vary from place to place. Employees and students are expected to exercise good judgment regarding the safety of travel when road conditions are affected by the weather. {This is the UALR policy on weather.}

Privacy and Writing

Please consider all writing for this class to be public. Part of becoming an effective writer is learning to appreciate the ideas and feedback of others; in this course, our purpose is to come together as a writing community. Remember, you will be expected to share your writing with others. Avoid writing about topics you wish to keep private or you feel so strongly about you are unwilling to listen to the perspectives of others. Additionally, the feedback provided is intended to help improve your writing; be open to suggestions. {This is the suggested policy by our department for first-year composition writing.}

Rhetoric 1311.19/20
Academic Integrity

Syllabus

Spring 2013

College and University regulations regarding academic dishonesty, as set forth in the UALR student handbook and other University documents and publications, will be strictly enforced in this class. Anyone who submits work he/she did not produce for the given assignments will be assigned a grade of zero points (F) for the assignment in question and may possibly fail the class. In accordance with section VI: Statement of Student Behavior, under the code of student rights, responsibilities, and behavior, the university defines academic dishonesty under the classification of cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and duplicity. Cheating and blatant plagiarism in this class will result in disciplinary sanction. The third day of class we will have a discussion about academic integrity and how to determine credible sources. You are required to take a quiz on Blackboard answering questions to demonstrate your understanding of this material. This quiz will act as proof of your knowledge to prevent plagiarism in your future assignments. {Ive included materials from my praxis lesson plan using theory inspired by Rebecca Moore Howard and Nancy Sommers to stress the importance of original writing in my class. Hopefully, this will discourage my students from stealing intellectual property and presenting it as their own work.}

Grading Scale and Late Work

The following is the grading scale for this course: A B C NC 90-100% 80-89% 70-79% 0-69%

In-class exercises and peer reviews account for your participation and attendance points. No credit is given if you are absent. Weekly reading blogs are only relevant for the current weeks reading materials. They cannot be submitted late. I expect you to submit your writing projects through Blackboard by 11:59pm on their due dates. You lose one letter grade for every 24 hours each day, not class period, a writing project is late. {This policy is essential to their responsibilities as learners in my class and for them to learn discipline for their future career endeavors beyond academia. Like the attendance policy, I will probably review this policy several times in the course of the semester to make sure they completely understand it. Many of my students attempted to submit work late or beyond the project deadline. This cannot be tolerated. In the workplace or in their upper level courses there are serious repercussions for falling behind. I believe as a first-year instructor its my responsibility to hold them accountable to train them as reliable employees and scholars.}

Rhetoric 1311.19/20
Assignments and Participation

Syllabus

Spring 2013

The following is a breakdown of your overall earnable points for this semester. There are 1500 points total. As you can see it is broken down into thirds. Attendance and participation is no less important than your writing projects and your portfolio. Please keep this in mind as we progress through the course. {I really chose to emphasize participation so my students understood regular attendance was required for my course in a numeric fashion.} Participation & Attendance (500 pts) Your participation in this course is conducive to your success as a writer. Over the course of the semester we will engage in brief writing exercises counting as in-class participation points. Twelve exercises totaling at 25 points each is 300 points. The other 200 points are blogs written on Blackboard. These blogs are reflective reading assignments. There are 15 blogs total but you only have to respond to eight. These blogs are worth 25 points each. We will also peer-review the writing projects in class. Feedback is helpful and its important to engage other writers for their opinions. Writing Projects (500 pts) You will have three writing projects during this semester. Movie Genre Review (100 pts) You will write a mostly opinion piece on what qualifies your favorite (or least favorite) genre and review three movies which fall under it. Two movies fit the genre and one must fail the criteria based on your own opinions. You will then write a brief movie review in magazine article formatting for each movie. PowerPoint Presentation (200 pts) You will research an issue or topic related to campus life. Then, you must write an informative presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint addressing the Student Government Association (SGA) on this topic and propose a solution. We will observe these presentations in class. PowerPoint is an important tool in the professional and academic world. An early introduction helps in practice. Persuasive Essay (200 pts) You will research a topic and write an appealing essay convincing the audience to consider your opinion/side. You must establish stronger credibility by providing counterargumentative information and response. Persuasive essays are typical for academic papers or project proposals. Topics are to be announced. Final Project Portfolio (500 pts) All students moving on from Composition I to Composition II must submit a portfolio to pass. Dont be intimidated! A portfolio is a collection of work youve already completed and the stages in the process. Its incredibly valuable to chronicle your accomplishments. What separates you from other job or graduate school applicants is your work. We will be working with Google Sites to submit and revise your portfolio work. An e-portfolio is very impressive and youll find yourself working with share sites like Google Docs or Microsoft SharePoint a lot in the working world. {I wanted my students to understand their portfolios were an opportunity, not a punishment.}

Rhetoric 1311.19/20

Syllabus

Spring 2013

Please thoroughly read the syllabus and return this page signed and dated by next class period. I, , have read and understand the content of the Spring 2013 syllabus for Rachell Hayes Rhetoric 1311 course. I understand the policies, procedures, and structure of this classroom. I understand that this syllabus is tentative and may change according to the needs of the class. If I have any questions about the syllabus and classroom experience, I will consult the aforementioned teacher. Sign: Date: {I think these contracts are a necessity to hold students accountable for their understanding of the entire courses policies and procedures.}