English 101

Sections: 44 (10:00 - 10:50 ENGR 308); 40 (11:00 - 11:50 S SCI 307)

Instructor: Danika Brown

Office: Babcock 3204

Phone: 626-8084

Department phone (message 8am - 5pm): 521-1836

Mailbox: Modern Languages 445

E-mail: danika@u.arizona.edu

Class web page: http://www.arizona.edu/~danika/101page.html

Instructor Office Hours: Monday 12:00pm ñ 1:30pm and Wednesday 1:30 - 3:00 and by appointment

Required Texts and Materials:

• Selzer, Jack, ed. Conversations: Readings for Writing. 3^rd ed. NY: Allyn and Bacon Publishing, 1996.
• Cai, Guanjun, Andy Crockett, and Maureen Salzer, eds. A Studentís Guide to First-Year Composition. 18^th ed. MN: Burgess Publishing, 1996. (**It is essential that you get the current edition of the Student Guide.)
• A Dictionary
• A folder for turning in journals and assignments
• Recommended: Writerís Handbook such as Diana Hackerís A Writerís Reference.

Welcome to English 101. The goal of this course is for you to gain skills in the process of college-level academic writing with an emphasis on analysis and argumentation. In order to achieve this goal, you will be reading, thinking, discussing, and writing about texts. All assignments will contribute to the process of writing. We will pay special attention to the ways reading, thinking, and writing are connected. We will also look at how writing and discussing and communicating achieve purposes. You can expect to write everyday in class and to have reading and writing assignments due regularly.

 You will be choosing a topic which has personal relevance for you. You will be investigating this topic at length throughout the semester from a variety of perspectives. The topic, therefore, will need to be not only personally relevant, but also of debatable interest. You will write three formal essays directly related to this topic.

 In addition to the three formal essays, you will also have in-class writing assignments, journal assignments, group work, and "listserv" assignments. In addition you will have a group assignment which you will present to the class toward the end of the semester. Again, all of these assignments will be directly related to our goal of gaining proficiency in academic analysis and critical thinking.

 You will be graded on:

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Before we discuss the schedule for this semester, letís get course policies out of the way. I am pretty easy to work with as long as you understand what I expect from you. 

• Attendance

Much of the work for this class will be done in class. If you want to know what is important to me, and if you want to know what will determine grades for each paper, you will need to be in class to find that information out. If you miss more than 3 classes, you may be dropped from the course with a grade of "E".

•  Turning in Work

All work must be turned in by the due date for full credit. You must turn in all formal essays to pass the course. All essays must be accompanied by rough drafts and peer editing responses. If you missed a formal paper, you may turn it in late, but it will not be graded for full credit. Papers are due by 5pm on the date due (exceptions will be negotiated in extreme situations with arrangements in advance). The highest grade you can receive on a paper not received by the due date is a "C". If the paper is more than one week (3 class sessions) late, you receive credit for turning it in, but the paper will receive a letter grade of "E". Save a copy of all your assignments in case the turned in copy is lost.

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• Ethics

Please become familiar with the universityís policy on plagiarism and integrity. You can find this information in the Student Guide page 138. If you turn in any work that has been plagiarized, or cheat in any other fashion, you may fail the course. In terms of classroom conduct, I expect you to respect the other students in this class (as well as your humble instructor).

• Collaboration

You will be expected to collaborate with your peers both in and out of class. I believe strongly that all settings are community settings and that you benefit from your interactions with your peers. Consider everyone in this class a colleague. I will ask you early in the semester to form groups for group projects . You will work with this group often in class on class exercises as well.

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• E-mail and class web page

You are required to get an e-mail address by the second week of class. E-mail accounts are available to all of you; check in CCIT if you need assistance in setting up an account. You will be required to participate on a listserv (which I will explain later) regularly. In addition, the most effective way of reaching me is by e-mail. If you are particularly computer-advanced and want to turn in some of your assignments through e-mail, by disk, or in HTML format, I am happy to work with you on these options.

The class will be utilizing a listserv. The address for the list is 101brown@listserv.arizona.edu. You will receive detailed instructions on using the listserv.

The class will also be utilizing "Caucus" conferencing.  Please review the directions at the Caucus Center and keep track of items on the conference.  You can also refer to the assignments page to keep track of responses required.

The class web page is located at http://www.arizona.edu/~danika/101page.html.
I will utilize your course web page to post all assignments and hand-outs that you receive in class. In addition, updates to the schedule and current reading assignments will be updated there. I will also provide "resources" for research, on-line writing labs and other related resources there. I recommend that you check and utilize the web page regularly. If you lose an assignment page or handout, you will want to get a copy from the web site rather than from me.

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• Paper Format

I highly recommend you do all your work on a word processor. Handwritten drafts are much more difficult to read and comment on. All final drafts must:

• Be typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins.
• Have a title page attached (I will provide a sample).
• Have all drafts, peer review comments, and journal entries attached.
• Be submitted in the required pocket folder

• Office Hours and Contacting Me

If at any time you need to discuss any element of the class with me, do not hesitate to come see me, phone me, or e-mail me. The most effective way of reaching me is by e-mail (danika@u.arizona.edu). We can schedule appointments or even "discuss" your concerns on e-mail. My office hours are listed above, and I highly recommend you use them. I am also happy to arrange to meet with you by appointment if my office hours do not meet your scheduling needs.

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