School of Arts and Sciences
Eastern Oregon University
Writing 121: Expository Prose Writing
linked with SOC 204
Winter 2005--4 credits
MTWR 12 - 12:50 PM LH 116
New General Education (Communication)

Instructor: Nancy Knowles, Loso Hall 146 (mailbox LH 154), 962-3795, nknowles@eou.edu
Office Hours: MW 10-11, T 2-3, and by appointment
Course Home Page: http://www2.eou.edu/~nknowles/winter2005/wr121w05.html

Catalog Description:

College-level practice of writing skills with a special emphasis on writing analytically, usually about texts. Students learn to adapt their writing processes to the rhetorical constraints of academic writing. Prerequisite: TSWE of 41-49 or completion of WR 115 and a satisfactory in-class diagnostic essay.

Learning Outcomes:

  1. Quality of Thinking:  Develop, support, and convey clear, focused, and substantive ideas in ways appropriate to topic, context, audience, and purpose.
  2. Organization and Coherence:  Organize writing in clear, coherent sequences, making connections and transitions among ideas, paragraphs, and sentences.
  3. Sentence Structure and Word Choice:  Use and vary sentence structures and word choices to achieve clear and fluent writing.
  4. Editing:  Edit for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, paragraph structure, sentence construction, formatting, and, when appropriate, citations.
  5. Writing Process:  Use effective processes--including drafting, peer responses, and, when appropriate, tutorial assistance--to generate, compose, organize, revise, and present writing.
  6. Research Process:  Identify and frame topics, questions, and purposes for inquiry; plan and conduct research.
  7. Analysis of Information Sources:  Locate and interpret varied information sources; distinguish among facts, supported inferences, and opinions; evaluate information.
  8. Use of Researched Information:  Use, integrate, and cite researched information and evidence.
  9. Single Source and Multisource Analytic Prose:  Integrate a single source or multiple sources that have been critically evaluated into an essay, while presenting the writer's own carefully and thoughtfully considered point of view on a topic.
  10. Reflection:  Evaluate and articulate one's own strengths and weaknesses as a writer; plan ways to address weaknesses and take advantage of strengths.
Means of Assessment (each related to all above outcomes): Required Materials: Course Requirements:
 
Reading: Read all assigned texts by the date they appear on the syllabus. Bring assigned readings to class. 
Participation: Successful learning in this course depends upon active, thoughtful participation in class discussion. Absence, lack of preparation, and unwillingness to share ideas or to work during class time detract from participation credit. Help me help you to manage absences by contacting me in advance when absence is necessary. 
Conferences: I expect each student to conference with me outside class once during the term. Students will also be required to visit the Writing Lab once per writing assignment and submit a form demonstrating their work. Conferences in addition to these constitute extra credit.
In-Class Writing: We will do quite a bit of in-class writing, including timed-writing practice. In-class writing will be awarded full credit for completion, with some partial or extra credit awarded for weak or excellent work. Because this kind of writing is rooted in our classroom activities, it may not be possible to make it up. 
Formal Writing Assignments: We will write three formal papers, two of which will be assigned in SOC 204. The third assignment is the Blog Project wherein students will maintain a weblog related to current events and write a reflective paper about doing so. All final drafts submitted to me must be accompanied by generative writing, rough drafts demonstrating substantial revision, response group work, a self-evaluation, a References page, and copies of any cited secondary material from outside class. Because our work is coordinated with SOC 204 deadlines, all WR 121 deadlines must be met. I may require further revision beyond the final drafts, and I will accept any revisions you choose to make until the deadlines indicated. All revisions must be accompanied by the graded draft. Revision grades, if higher, will replace the initial grade, but revision does not guarantee a higher grade. GRADES FOR WR 121 MAY NOT NECESSARILY MATCH GRADES FOR SOC 204. 
Writing Evaluation: We will work in response groups to evaluate one another's writing. Note: collaboration in response groups is expected, but response groups may not rewrite the work of individuals; instead, they should identify strong and weak sections in the writing and make suggestions for improvement. To receive credit for response, responders must write comments on drafts and return those drafts to the writers who must then submit those drafts with the final draft. Group members will be graded individually based on the quality and thoughtfulness of the comments. Students who attend response groups without drafts will be asked to leave and will receive zeros for that day's response group work. See Response Group handout for guidelines. 
Final: Attendance at the final examination is an institutional requirement.

Grading information, rules, and guidelines common to all my syllabi

Schedule:

See SOC 204 syllabus for additional required reading and writing assignments. Changes to this syllabus may be made during class.
 

Date		 Class Activities Assignments Due
WEEK 1
1/5W		 Course introduction
Diagnostic Essay
  
1/6R Academic reading and writing about reading
How to read writing assignments
Précis Assignment--practice on Schwalbe Preface or Chpt. 1
Practice tasks
 Bring Schwalbe, Schmidt, and Hacker
Print and bring Précis Assignment
Read Schmidt 1-5 regarding thinking about assignments
Read Hacker section APA3 (regarding integrating sources; beginning on p. 386)
     
WEEK 2
1/10M
Adding your ideas to your writing about reading
Media, images, and credibility--CBS news clip

 Précis Assignment due
Bring Ferguson and Schwalbe
1/11T Meet in Pierce Library computer lab: Blog Project introduction
Select Blog Project topics
 Read and bring Anderson chapter (on reserve)
1/12W Blog Project discussion
 Blog Project Topic Proposal due
1/13R Meet in Pierce Library computer lab: Blog Project set-up
News program citation
 Blog Set Up, Description of Blog Purpose, and Blog Email to be completed in class
Bring Hacker
     
WEEK 3
1/17M		 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday


1/18T Writing Workshop
 Bring Test #1 assignment, Moody, Ferguson, Schmidt, Hacker, and Schwalbe, and any related materials
Read Schmidt pages 6-11
Read Hacker C1-2 (planning and drafting)
Visit Writing Center tutor before the Test #1 deadline
Extra credit: attend film series (Tues. ZH 142 7-10 PM) and write short analysis
1/19W Writing Workshop
 Bring Test #1 assignment, Moody, Ferguson, Schmidt, Hacker, and Schwalbe, and any related materials
Read Schmidt pages 28-30, 39-47
Read Hacker C4-5 (paragraphs and arguments)
1/20R Writing Workshop
 Bring Test #1 assignment, Moody, Ferguson, Schmidt, Hacker, and Schwalbe, and any related materials
Read Schmidt 53-65
     
WEEK 4
1/24M		 Response Groups
 Bring 3 copies of Test #1, response handout, and rubric
1/25T Proofreading and Style
 Read Schmidt 66-78 (style)
Bring Hacker and Schmidt
1/26W Wag the Dog discussion
 Submit final Test #1 with my required supporting materials
1/27R Blog discussion
 Bring blog materials and ideas
     
WEEK 5
1/31M		 Work on blogs outside class (no class meeting)
  
2/1T Writing workshop--Gender
Secondary research discussion
 Bring Group Project Assignment
Read Schmidt 12-27, 35-36 (secondary research)
Extra credit: attend film series (Tues. ZH 142 7-10 PM) and write short analysis
2/2W Meet in Pierce Library computer lab: Blogging and research
2/3R
 No class
  
  Friday, February 4 is the last day to drop a class without responsibility for a grade  Mainstream Posting and Comments due
Blog Links due
International Posting and Comments due
WEEK 6
2/7M		 Blog Project reflection
Blog Project and sociology discussion
Discussion of secondary sources
Blog posting citation
 Alternative Posting and Comments due
Print and bring a couple comments from your blog
Read Schmidt 48-52 (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing)
Bring Ferguson, Schwalbe, Schmidt, and Hacker
2/8T Blog Project and sociology writing
 Bring Ferguson and Schwalbe
2/9W
 Writing workshop--Gender
 Bring Group Project materials, Ferguson, and Schwalbe
2/10R
 Writing workshop--Gender
 Bring Group Project materials, Ferguson, and Schwalbe
     
WEEK 7
2/14M		 Response groups for Test #1 revision Sociology Posting and Comments due
Scholarly Posting and Comments due--extra credit
Bring three copies of Test #1 revised draft, original graded drafts, response group handout, and rubric
2/15T
 Proofreading and Style
Introduction to timed writing
 Bring Hacker and Schmidt
Extra credit: attend film series (Tues. ZH 142 7-10 PM) and write short analysis
2/16W
 Timed writing
 Bring Blog materials, Ferguson, and Schwalbe
2/17R
 Timed writing
 Bring Blog materials, Ferguson, and Schwalbe
     
WEEK 8
2/21M		 Review timed writing
Writing workshop
 Revision of Test #1 due with previously graded draft
Bring Test #2 assignment and any related materials
Visit Writing Center tutor before Test #2 deadline
2/22T Writing workshop Bring Test #2 materials
2/23W Blog Project reflection
Review of Blog Project Paper and writing
 Bring Blog materials including copies of a few comments from your blog
2/24R
 Writing workshop
 Bring Blog materials
     
WEEK 9
2/28M		 Writing workshop Bring Test #2 materials
3/1T Writing workshop
 Bring Test #2 materials
Extra credit: attend film series (Tues. ZH 142 7-10 PM) and write short analysis
3/2W Work on blog or paper
  
3/3R
 Response groups Bring three copies of Test #2, response handout, and rubric
     
WEEK 10
3/7M		 Course evaluations
 Test #2 due with my required supporting materials
Visit Writing Center tutor THIS WEEK for Blog Project draft
3/8T Writing workshop
 Bring Blog materials
Extra credit: attend film series (ZH 142 7-10 PM) and write short analysis
3/9W Response groups Bring three copies of Blog Project draft and response handout
3/10R Proofreading Bring Hacker and Schmidt
Any revisions of Test #1 due
     
FINALS
3/16M		 Final Examination 10 AM -12 PM
 Blog Project Paper due with required supporting materials
Any revisions of Test #2 due

Last update 1/05.