Stony Brook WRT102 Digital Textbook

Caitlin Duffy (feel free to call me “Caitlin”)

Office hours: Monday (12-1), Wednesday (3-5), or by appointment

Office: HUM 2075

WRT 102.44: Intermediate Writing Workshop

Spring 2019

Monday and Wednesday (PHYSICS P125), 7:00-8:20 PM

Course Description:

In WRT 102, you will develop your ability to write clear, coherent, and well-developed prose. This course requires analytical reading and critical thinking and includes instruction and practice in research methods and writing from sources. You will learn strategies for extended academic writing assignments including critical analysis, argument or point of view, and multi-source, college-level research essays. During our time together, you will develop rhetorical awareness, analytical proficiency, and academic research skills. At the end of the course, each student will create a multimodal ePortfolio of final revised essays to be evaluated by their instructor and at least one outside reader.

Prerequisite:

WRT 101; 3 or higher on AP English exams; 580 or higher on the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing SAT or 1050 or higher on the combined Critical Reading and Writing SAT (last administered Jan 2016); 23 or higher on the English Language Arts ACT or 24 or higher on the combined English and Writing ACT (last administered June 2015); C or higher in an approved transfer course.

Required Course Materials:

Texts:

Hammond, Eugene. Thoughtful Writing, 3^rd Edition. Dubuque, IA. Kendall Hunt Publishing, 2009. ISBN 9780757570148

Other texts available on our online course textbook (wrtdigitaltextbook.hcommons-staging.org/).

Other:

Notebook, pen/pencil, Internet access, printed reading and homework

Program in Writing and Rhetoric Student Learning Outcomes

	Outcome Category	Description
1.	Write Effectively in English	-Produce coherent texts within common college-level writing forms. -Demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts. -Research a topic, develop an argument and organize supporting details.
2.	Prepare for the World Beyond Graduation	-Evaluate and synthesize researched information -Evaluate and analyze various media -Write for the public
3.	Critical and creative engagement with texts	-Analyze texts to understand how and why they communicate their messages and effects to audiences
4.	Rhetorical Strategies	-Achieve communicative purposes for different audiences and contexts
5.	Grammar and Usage	-Show evidence of careful sentence-level editing in final drafts at acceptable levels of accuracy in syntax, grammar, semantics, and punctuation
6.	Metacognition	-Exhibit awareness of the relation of one’s writing practices and coursework to other academic, professional, and lived contexts
7.	Multimodality	-Evaluate, synthesize, and manage information from or in a variety of media

Assignments/Grading:

Quizzes (10%)
1. There will be some pop quizzes in this class. They will happen at the start of class and will test you on the readings due for homework that day and/or on content learned in previous classes. The first quiz will be done at home, be open-book, and will test your knowledge of the syllabus.
2. Depending on how many quizzes we have, I will drop 1-3 of your lowest grades.
3. There will also be two surveys that ask you to share your experience of the class (one in the middle of the semester and one at the end). I will count these as quizzes.
Classwork and Participation (10%):
1. This is a workshop-style class, which means that participation is important. Throughout the course, you will be engaged in group, individual, and full class work/discussions.
2. Make sure you complete the reading and bring in a printed copy of the reading to class on the day that the reading is due. Please make sure that you also bring all required materials to class. On a normal day, that includes printed reading, pen or pencil, and a notebook. If a journal entry is due that day, be sure to bring in a printed copy of your entry to class. Finally, on peer review days, you will be asked to bring in either a laptop or tablet, or three printed copies of your writing, to class.
3. There will be days where you turn in work completed in class. This will be graded on a pass/fail scale.
Reading Response (RR) Journal (6 entries)/Homework (15%):
1. Along with the writing assignments below, you are required to read a series of texts (from Thoughtful Writing or otherwise posted on our online course textbook).
2. You will be asked to write, at six different points in the semester, two different types of journal entries: a basic response entry and a social media entry, respectively. For the basic response journal, you will identify three quotations from the reading that you think are discussion-worthy (ideas you find interesting, that you disagree with, that you find confusing, etc.). Then you will write a short comment (2-4 sentences) on why you selected that quote/how you feel about the issue it presents. For the social media entry, choose a passage that interested you then write a social media post (you don’t have to actually post it to your social media, but use the generic conventions of the platform you choose) that explains or discusses the rhetorical move used in the passage. You will print these out and turn them in during class.
3. Homework will also include various exercises taken from Thoughtful Writing. You will submit these on Blackboard unless otherwise instructed.
4. Homework from Thoughtful Writing will typically be graded on a pass/fail scale. The journal entries will each be given a score out of ten. I will provide criteria.
Literacy Narrative (4-5 pages or 1,000-1,250 words) (20%):
1. A reflective piece in which you discuss key moments in your personal literacy acquisition, drawing on concepts we’ll discuss in class. We will examine various examples of literacy narratives, as well as opportunities for different genres of literacy narratives. You are encouraged to be creative in developing your literacy narrative and you are not required to write a traditional essay to fulfill this assignment. You will have the option to submit your literacy narrative for publication on the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives.
Textual Analysis (4-6 pages or 1,000-1,500 words) (20%):
1. This analysis will be written in the form of a digital essay. You will rhetorically analyze one of the texts from class of your choosing OR a text from outside of the class of your choosing that is approved by me, your instructor. You will examine and explain how the author responds to their call to write using specific evidence from the text to establish a thesis about the text’s rhetoric (how it persuades, educates, or moves its audience through rhetorical appeals).
Researched Argument (7-9 pages or 1,750-2,250 words not including bibliography) (25%):
1. A research paper that takes up and argues on behalf of a position in an ongoing cultural, sociopolitical, or international debate of immediate interest or concern. The topic and argument is your choice because I want you to write about something that matters to you. Feel free to write about something that is a personal interest or that fits within your major field. I will also provide prompts to help you in case you have a difficult time choosing a topic.
2. The assignment will include a proposal and annotated bibliography which must contain no less than five credible sources. All topics must be approved by me based on your proposal before you go any further in the writing process.
3. This assignment will be written towards the goal of publication in the Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Issues and Media, however, you are not required to submit your work for publication.

Portfolio System: in WRT 102, we use a portfolio system to distinguish passing students from those who need to repeat the course. Your final grade will be based in part on essays submitted to the Program in Writing and Rhetoric and graded satisfactory or unsatisfactory. These papers are evaluated by a group of WRT 102 faculty at the end of the semester. You cannot pass this course without receiving a passing grade (a “satisfactory”) on your portfolio from the outside reader. While you do need to submit a passing portfolio, grades are determined solely by your instructor.

Please note: essays cannot be submitted for final portfolio evaluation unless I have supervised the writing and revision of those papers.

Portfolio Requirements:

A passing portfolio will meet the following criteria:

have a minimum of 3000 words demonstrating college-level writing; no fewer than 1,250 words must be argumentative research writing;
Construct a thesis-driven argument, supported by paragraphs with research evidence. This includes alternate views/counter-arguments when appropriate;
Write logically and coherently with unified paragraphs, each of which has a main guiding idea, linked by adequate transitions;
Demonstrate awareness of audience expectations;
Cite courses correctly and create citation pages (where appropriate) in a unified style (MLA, APA, or Chicago);
Write effectively in English by exhibiting competency in grammar, syntax, usage, and punctuation.

Grading:

According to university policy, you must receive a C or better in this course in order to receive credit for it and fulfill the writing requirement. If your work is below a C, you will receive a U for the course and you will need to repeat it.

Grading Scale:

A	93-100	4.0
A-	90-92	3.7
B+	87-89	3.3
B	83-86	3.0
B-	80-82	2.7
C+	77-79	2.3
C	73-76	2.0
C-	70-72	1.7
D+	67-69	1.3
D	60-66	1.0
F	1-59	0.0

For the four major writing assignments, I will only grade your revised versions. In this course, revision is regarded as an essential tool towards achieving successful papers. Revisions are not simply about editing your papers for typos or grammar errors; revisions give you the opportunity to make substantive changes before final grading. First drafts will be submitted on Google Drive and will receive feedback. First drafts that are submitted late will fall to the bottom of the reading pile (this means that you likely won’t receive the comments on schedule with the rest of the class). The purpose of multiple draft and revision work is to improve your writing skills, including content, organization, coherence and sentence structure. You are able to submit more than the two drafts listed on the schedule. Revised drafts will be due on Blackboard and can be submitted any time before the final due date. Any revised drafts that are turned in on after the final due date will lose half a letter grade with each day that it is late with a maximum deduction of three full letter grades. Make every effort to turn in your work on schedule. Homework will not be accepted late. If you miss a class on a day that a journal entry, please email me your journal entry before class time. There will be some extra credit opportunities.

Homework must be turned in on Blackboard. Classwork and journals must be turned in in hard copy. The drafts and revised drafts of your three main essays must be submitted online via Google Docs (the Google doc must be set to “anyone with the link can comment/edit” so I can give you ample written feedback on your work).

There will be various extra credit opportunities throughout the semester.

If you are nervous about an approaching due date, the best thing you can do is talk to me before the due date arrives. I’m happy to listen and work with you, however, it’s much harder for me to help if the due date has already passed.

Attendance:

Since this is a workshop course, attendance is required. In accordance with the Writing Program policy, students who miss more than the equivalent of two weeks of classes (4 or more absences) cannot pass the course, regardless of the quality of their work or performance in the class. Attendance is taken each day and missing a scheduled conference counts as an absence. If a student misses more than 4 classes, he/she will automatically receive a U.

Students will be excused from classes for University-sanctioned events and religious holidays, but they must notify me in advance so we can make arrangements for students to submit their work.

Class Participation:

Participation in class discussions is essential for a productive learning environment, so every student is expected to take part in group/class discussions of the weekly readings, as well as to share his/her writing in class and provide feedback to fellow students on their own writing. In order to do so, you must come prepared: always bring a printed-out copy of the reading (including any related homework assignment and previous work and handouts), and read the texts prior to their discussion in class. Bring your copy of Thoughtful Writing to class any day a homework assignment from Thoughtful Writing is due.

Cell phone use in class will not be tolerated unless we are using our cell phones for a class activity. If you need to call someone or check something, please leave the classroom. These forms of class disturbance, including interruptions from electronic devices such as cell phones or laptops, are considered offenses under the University’s student conduct code. That being said, there will likely be days when we work on laptops or tablets. If you use your laptop or tablet in a distracting way (that is, browsing, shopping, facebooking, playing games, watching BASKETBALL) you will lose points from your classwork grade. If you persist after this, you will be asked to leave. If it continues to happen, you will face Student Code of Conduct violations. .

Blackboard:

Course materials and assignments will be posted on Blackboard (blackboard.stonybrook.edu). If you are absent, you should check Blackboard for classwork and homework information. Email me if you can’t find the information you need.

Email Etiquette:

Please make sure that you develop professional email etiquette. When you email me, or your peers, include a subject line, a greeting, and a closing. Also, please be sure to explain in detail the reason you are emailing. Finally, I can’t guarantee an immediate answer, especially if you email me during the weekend or after 9 pm.

Student Accessibility Support Center (SASC):

If you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services (631) 632-6748 or https://www.stonybrook.edu/dss/. They will determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential.

Names and Pronouns:

Stony Brook University affirms all gender identities and expressions. If you go by a name other than that on the class roster, and/or if you would like to be addressed with a specific pronoun, do not hesitate to inform your instructor. In addition, it is the Office of the Registrar’s policy that any student may set a preferred name through SOLAR that will appear on the roster of all of their classes. For instructions on how to do so, as well as for more information on the University’s preferred name policy, please go to https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/registrar/policies/namepolicy.html. For further assistance with issues regarding name and pronoun usage, please contact Stony Brook LGBTQ* Services at (631) 632-2941 or lgbtqservices@stonybrook.edu. http://studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/lgbtq/.

Academic Integrity Statement:

Plagiarism is using others’ ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information. It is very important that each student give credit where it is due when using ideas and words that are not their own. Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is considered academic dishonesty and all instances will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. To avoid plagiarism, you must give credit whenever you use another person’s idea, opinion, or theory; any facts, statistics, graphs, drawings, or any other pieces of information, that are not common knowledge; quotations of another person’s actual spoken or written words; or paraphrase of another person’s spoken or written words. Citing all sources and putting direct quotations in quotation marks are required.

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person’s work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instance of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/.

Writing Center:

The Writing Center is a free service provided by the Program in Writing and Rhetoric. It’s located in Humanities 2009, telephone number (631) 632-7405. Students may make appointments to work one-on-one with a tutor on their papers by calling or going online to http://www.stonybrook.edu/writingcenter/. The Writing Center can help you at any stage of writing a paper.

Counseling Services:

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential services to currently enrolled students taking at least six credit hours. Included are crisis intervention, brief counseling for individuals, couples, and groups; consultation to students, faculty, staff, friends, and parents; assistance with referrals to community resources.

The West Campus offices are located on the Second Floor of the Student Health Building (by the stadium and SB Union). To schedule an appointment, call 632-6720 (on campus dial 2-6720). Web site: http://www.studentaffairs.stonybrook.edu/caps/

Critical Incident Management:

Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, and/or inhibits students’ ability to learn.

Course Schedule*

		Class Focus	Due Today
Week 1	Monday, January 28	Course introduction, syllabus, How can I teach you best?; Writing is complicated
	Wednesday, January 30	Sedaris; intro to RR journal assignments; Writing with purpose	David Sedaris- “Me Talk Pretty One Day”; Complete open-book syllabus quiz on BB
Week 2	Monday, February 4	Literacy narrative introduction; Douglass and rhetorical strategies/rhetoric	Frederick Douglass- “Learning to Read and Write”; RR #1
	Wednesday, February 6	Free writing; Reading circles: King and Lamott; Grammar as needed	Choose one: Selections from Stephen King, On Writing or Anne Lamott- “Shitty First Drafts”; RR #2
Week 3	Monday, February 11	Google Drive and Digication Instructions; Review homework; Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN); Grammar as needed	Thoughtful Writing Reading: Chapter 2, Complete Exercises 2-4 and 2-5 (bring this to class- either digitally or printed)
	Wednesday, February 13	Peer review workshop day	Literacy Narrative 1^st Draft
Week 4	Monday, February 18	Duhigg, Inferences and Facts	Charles Duhigg- “The Real Roots of American Rage” and RR #3
	Wednesday, February 20	Literacy Narratives Returned; Review homework, Facts vs. Inferences vs. Claims; How to turn inferences into an essay; Grammar (as needed)	Thoughtful Writing Chapter 3 pgs 28-33, Complete Exercise 5
Week 5	Monday, February 25	Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Introduction: looking at sample texts; Grammar (as needed)	Thoughtful Writing: Read Chapter 6, Exercise 6-2
	Wednesday, February 27	Mill; Choosing a text for rhetorical analysis; Intro to ethos, pathos, and logos- annotation activity	Meek Mill-“Prisoners Need A New Set of Rights” and RR #4
Week 6	Monday, March 4	Visual rhetoric and advertisements activity: ethos, pathos, and logos	Select text for first rhetorical analysis essay; Revised literacy narrative
	Wednesday, March 6	Review HW; audience and social media; who is your audience?	Thoughtful Writing: Read Chapter 4, complete exercise 4-3
Week 7	Monday, March 11	Peer Review/Writing Workshop	Rhetorical Analysis 1^st Draft
	Wednesday, March 13	Researched argument assignment/research proposal; Reading circles: Adichie and La Farge; Counterarguments	Choose one: Paul La Farge- “The Deep Space of Digital Reading” or Chimamanda Adichie-“The Danger of A Single Story” and RR #5
Week 8	Monday, March 18-Friday, March 22	No class, Spring Break! Rhetorical Analyses returned digitally
Week 9	Monday, March 25	Annotated bibliography intro and source credibility; grammar (as needed)	Proposal and list of five sources
	Wednesday, March 27	Writing conferences- no class Research proposals returned	Revised rhetorical analysis
Week 10	Monday, April 1	MLA8 citation, quotation, paraphrase; how to integrate sources into your writing	Revised proposal (if needed)
	Wednesday, April 3	Osnos; Argument outline/structure;	Evan Osnos- “Doomsday Prep for the Super-Rich” and RR #6
Week 11	Monday, April 8	Peer review/writing workshop: Annotated bibliography; Avoiding plagiarism	Annotated bibliography first draft
	Wednesday, April 10	Sample texts from Undergraduate Journal of Contemporary Issues and Media; considering the academic audience
Week 12	Monday, April 15	Annotated bibliography returned Introductions and conclusions
	Wednesday, April 17	Peer review day	Researched argument 1^st draft
Week 13	Monday, April 22	Researched argument returned Customize ePortfolio. Digital image citation
	Wednesday, April 24	Writing Conferences- no classes
Week 14	Monday, April 29	Portfolio checklist; customize ePortfolio; Grammar (as needed)	Revised research argument and annotated bibliography
	Wednesday, May 1	Cover letter
Week 15	Monday, May 6	Cover letter returned Grammar clean-up (depends on what we need); Final class survey; Reviewing with memes	Final day to submit extra revisions.
	Wednesday, May 8	Portfolio conferences- no class

*Schedule is tentative and may change depending on student needs and unforeseen events like snow days. Keep an eye on Blackboard and your Stony Brook email for updates and changes to the schedule.

*Portfolio due on TBD on Digication*