English 1303: First Year Writing I

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Time	Section	Room
T/Th 10:00-11:30	14180	T 129K
T/Th 11:30-1:00	14208	FH 131

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Textbook

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Materials

• in-class writing tools (pen/pencil & paper)
• a two-pocket folder (for submitting assignments)
• a stapler

Prerequisites

In order to enroll in English 1303 students must meet one of the minimum test scores following: TASP/THEA 240 or TASP/THEA Exempt; TSWE 40; SAT 500 Verbal; ACT 19 Verbal; COMPASS 6; TOEFL 4.5; or PENSSE. It is the student’s responsibility to show the instructor proof that he or she has met the course prerequisites. Students who do not show proof by the 6th day of the semester will be dropped from the course.

Catalog Description

A detailed study of the principles of rhetoric as applied in reading and writing expository essays.

Course Learning Outcomes

The student who completes this course will be expected to:

1. understand and demonstrate writing processes including invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing, and presentation.
2. understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose, and make appropriate
   communication choices in such areas as voice, tone, level of formality, etc
3. recognize, understand, and apply the conventions of format, structure, and style appropriate to a variety of rhetorical modes, situations, and genres, i.e., description, exposition, narration, scientific writing, and self-expression, in written communication.

Academic Support Services

“In compliance with the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Center for Students with DisABILITIES (CSD) provides ‘reasonable and necessary’ testing accommodations for qualified students with health impairments, physical limitations, psychiatric disorders, and learning disabilities.” Students who want to know more about these services should consult the Student Handbook, or should contact CSD in Room 110 of the Justin Dart, Jr. Center for Students with DisABILITIES (building #568), 713-743-5400 (voice) or 713-749-1527 (TTY); www.uh.edu/csd.

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Course Policies

Attendance

You should attend all of every class. Failure to attend constitutes grounds for failing the course. I make no distinction between “excused” and “unexcused” absences; an absence is an absence. (I will excuse religious holidays and University-sponsored activities, but only if you submit written notice to me stating your intention in advance of the absence.) I assign no grade penalty for your first two absences; starting on your third absence, however, each day you miss will reduce your final average by one point. (Three tardies equal one absence. Leaving class before I dismiss you counts as two tardies.) I will take role at the beginning of each class session; if you arrive after role call, check in with me at the end of class. It is your responsibility to find out, from your classmates, what you miss when you are not in class.

Writing Assignments

You will write 3 major essays (ranging in length from 3 to 5 pages) and 3 sets of peer critiques. You will also write 6 brief (1 to 2 page) writing exercises. I do not assign extra credit or make-up work. Failure to complete ANY assignment, graded or not, may result in a failing grade for the course. Hand in all assignments to me at the beginning of class on the designated due date. Papers not submitted directly to me will not receive grades. I do not accept late papers. I discuss grades only in private, and only forty-eight hours (at least) after I have returned an assignment

Professionalism

I expect you to participate in class professionally—arrive on time, meet deadlines, collaborate, and pull your weight. I expect you to have read and be prepared to discuss the assigned readings for every class period. Professionalism includes all of these as well as regular attendance, willing participation in all facets of classroom life, and a sincere effort to improve your own writing and that of your peers through peer critique, revision, and conferencing.

Manuscript Requirements

Make and keep a copy of every exercise, essay, draft, and peer critique you submit. Print out your final drafts on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Use 1 inch margins, double space, paginate, and staple pages together. (NB: I will not accept, read, or grade any unstapled papers). Use only 12 point fonts and readable typefaces (such as Times New Roman or Georgia). Always print with a good ink cartridge to ensure legibility. I will not grade papers I consider illegible. Edit and proofread everything you turn in; every assignment should be as error-free as your can make it.

Cell Phones

You may not use cell phones in class. Keep your cell phone turned off and out of sight from the moment you enter the classroom until the moment you leave. Notify me before class begins if there is an emergency situation that absolutely requires you to leave your cell phone on. I reserve the right to confiscate any cell phone visible in class and to answer or confiscate any cell phone that rings during class.

Laptops

You may use your laptop only for taking notes, accessing the class website, or other specifically class-related work. If you use it to IM, e-mail, play games, shop or any other such activity during class, you forfeit your right to bring a laptop to class for the rest of the semester. I reserve the right to confiscate any laptop being used inappropriately during class.

Website

I will make all course materials—including the syllabus, assignment sheets, and so on—available on the class website: http://drmarkwomack.com/engl-1303/. Check this site regularly to keep up with class announcements.

Academic Dishonesty

Students are expected to do their own work. The University of Houston Academic Policies define and prohibit academic dishonesty as follows: “‘Academic dishonesty’ means employing a method or technique or engaging in conduct in an academic endeavor that the student knows or should know is not permitted by the university or a course instructor to fulfill academic requirements” (Article 3.02; see Student Handbook URL http://www.uh.edu/dos/publications/handbook.php for further details). The primary concern in this course is plagiarism, again defined in the Academic Honesty Policy: “Representing as one’s own work the work of another without acknowledging the source.” Plagiarism will be dealt with according to its type and severity: faulty citation of sources will be treated as a matter for teaching and revision; willful and knowing academic dishonesty will be dealt with according to University policy and can result in failure of the assignment or the course, and/or suspension from or expulsion from the University.

Course Expectations for Behavior and Preparation

The University of Houston spells out its “Expectations of Students for a Conducive Learning Environment” in the UH Student Handbook, page 66; please review them. The English Department endorses these policies and expects you to abide by them. The handbook is available online at: http://www.uh.edu/dos/publications/handbook.php.

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Schedule of Readings & Assignments

DATE	READINGS	ASSIGNMENTS
T 8/23	Review instructions, policies, & syllabus
Th 8/25	Writing Classic Prose
M 8/29	Last Day to Add a Class
T 8/30	“Thinking Rhetorically About Good Writing,” Allyn & Bacon Guide to Writing (A&B), chp. 1	Writing Exercise 1: Two Messages
Th 9/1	“Thinking Rhetorically About Your Subject Matter,” A&B chp. 2
T 9/6	“Writing an Autobiographical Narrative,” A&B chp. 6	Writing Exercise 2: Believing/Doubting
W 9/7	Last Day to Drop or Withdraw Without Receiving a Grade
Th 9/8	“Thinking Rhetorically About Style & Document Design,” A&B chp. 4
T 9/13	“Composing and Revising Open-Form Prose,” A&B chp. 11 (Skills 11.1-11.3)	Writing Exercise 3: Contrasting Descriptions
Th 9/15	“Composing and Revising Open-Form Prose,” A&B chp. 11 (Skills 11.4-11.6)
T 9/20	“Writing as a Problem-Solving Process,” A&B chp. 9	Writing Exercise 4: Creative Imitation
Th 9/22	Peer Review Workshop	Narrative Essay Draft
T 9/27	Revision Workshop: Concision
Th 9/29	“Revising, Editing, and Proofreading,” A&B chp. 16
T 10/4	“Thinking Rhetorically About How Messages Persuade,” A&B chp. 3
Th 10/6	“Reading Rhetorically: The Writer as Strong Reader,” A&B chp.5	Writing Exercise 5: Angle of Vision
T 10/11		Narrative Essay Revised
Th 10/13
T 10/18	“Incorporating Sources Into Your Own Writing,” A&B “Citing & Documenting Sources,” A&B chps. 12 & 13
Th 10/20	Peer Review Workshop	Summary/Response Draft
T 10/25	Revision Workshop: Commas & Quotation Marks A&B chp. 14
Th 10/27	Revision Workshop: Fragments, Run-ons, and Comma Splices
T 11/1		Summary/Response Revised
W 11/2	Last Day to Drop & Receive a “W”
Th 11/3	“Writing an Informative Essay or Report,” A&B chp. 9
T 11/8	“Composing and Revising Closed-Form Prose,” A&B chp. 10 (Skills 10.1-10.5)	Writing Exercise 6: Enlivening Prose
Th 11/10	“Composing and Revising Closed-Form Prose,” A&B chp. 10 (Skills 10.6-10.10)
T 11/15	Library Research Day
Th 11/17	Peer Review Workshop	Informative Essay Draft
T 11/22	Revision Workshop: Revising a Research Paper
Th 11/24	THANKSGIVING
T 11/29	Revision Workshop: Empahsis & Word Choice
Th 12/1		Informative Essay Revised

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Your instructor, Mark Womack, reserves the right to amend any policies listed here with sufficient written and verbal notice.