Creative Endeavors, Odd Obsessions, and Bad Habits

Identities

English 1010-17: Expository Writing, MWF 8-8:55 Professor Rebecca Bobbitt Office: AMG 305 Office Phone: 904-8262 Office hours: MW 9-10:30 or by appointment E- mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

COURSE OBJECTIVES English 1010 will emphasize academic writing and improve the skills needed to produce college-level essays. We will be concerned with the writing process (brainstorming, revising, editing) as well as the quality of the final text produced (content, organization, word choice, grammar, and mechanics). In order to generate ideas for our class discussions and writing assignments, we will read selections from The Composition of Everyday Life. We will also watch clips from television shows and movies, including some material that might be considered objectionable by some. Become familiar with the on-line version of this class on WebCT as soon as possible. http://www.mtsu.edu/webctdev.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS REM: Remix: Reading + Composing Culture, ed. by Latterell SFC: Surviving Freshman Composition, 3rd edition, ed. by Smith and Smith HHH: Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook, 16th edition, by Glenn, Miller, and Webb

REQUIRED MATERIALS Access to the Internet and Microsoft Word software Notebook or loose-leaf paper

EVALUATION AND GRADING SCALE To pass the course and earn three credit hours, you must achieve an overall grade average of C- or better. Although I will use the grade of D in grading papers and assignments, anyone receiving an overall D grade will not pass the class.

Essay 1 In-class Diagnostic 20% Essay 2 Entertainment 20% Essay 3 Traditions 20% Essay 4 Identi-kit 20%

Class Participation (discussions, response papers, class work) 10% Journal Entries 10%

Total 100%

Note: I will use an evaluation form when I grade your papers. When calculating your grade, I will take the percentage of the points you earn on the essay to the total possible points on the evaluation form. Use the following scale to convert these percentage grades to letter grades: 100 – 90 = A 89 – 80 = B 79 – 70 = C 69 – 60 = D 59 – 0 = F I will not be awarding +/- grades for final semester grades. I will round up to the nearest tenth.

REVISIONS You are required to revise the first essay of the semester (diagnostic essay). You have the option of revising the second and third essays throughout the semester. When you revise an essay, the revised essay’s grade replaces the recorded grade (always with a higher grade). To receive a new grade, you must include the graded draft with the revision.

PAPER GUIDELINES Per the English Department guidelines, you will be writing at least four essays of 1000-1200 words (4 - 4 ¾ pages) each.

FORMAT All papers will be typed, double-spaced, stapled, and printed in dark readable print. In addition, all papers will use 12-point font and will have a 1” margin at the top, bottom and both sides. NOTE: The default settings for MS Word are 1.25” for the left and right margins—you will need to reset the margins to 1”. All papers will have a title and the appropriate assignment block in the top left-hand corner of the first page. (See HHH 634-35 for further explanation and example.) You need to follow these presentation guidelines whenever you turn in a paper to me. Not following them will reduce your essay grade.

LATE PAPER POLICY All papers and assignments are DUE when they are DUE. However, life does take sudden turns from time to time. Therefore, I will allow one paper to be turned in late but only up to 48 hrs (i.e. it will be due without penalty at the beginning of the next class period). For additional late papers, your essay grade will be reduced by one letter grade per day late. Notice this is per day, not per class session. Essay 4 will not be accepted late.

PLAGIARISM You will receive a zero for a plagiarized paper. MTSU policy requires that I notify judicial affairs in any plagiarism case. This matter is serious and equivalent to criminal fraud or theft. It is my expectation and should be yours as well that you can do any assignment in this class without cheating. I have access to the website MyDropBox.com, which allows me to search the internet and essay databases for plagiarism in your papers. In addition, you will be required to read over, sign, and turn in the plagiarism statement found in Surviving Freshman Composition (3rd ed., p. 15) by Sept. 8. There are no exceptions to this policy; students failing to take this small measure CANNOT have any work graded until the page is turned in. Signing the form shows that you are aware of what constitutes plagiarism.

ATTENDANCE POLICY At MTSU, the instructor sets the policy for attendance; be sure to understand my attendance policy before deciding to stay in this class. All absences negatively impact your grade in one way or another because each day of class prepares you for the next. In my class, absences are neither excused nor unexcused; you are allowed three absences for the semester. For each absence after the third, I will subtract five points from your final average. The only exception to this rule is for university-sanctioned absences—if you will be missing class for university games, speech trips, livestock judging, or some official university activity, please provide your absence schedule to me by the second week of classes. University-sanctioned events that occur unexpectedly during the semester will only be excused if you notify me one week prior to your absence and provide notification from your coach/faculty advisor. If you follow these guidelines, you will be allowed to make up missed assignments.

*You will not receive credit for any in-class work that you miss, such as journals; this is the price of being absent. Homework, such as response papers, will not be accepted late.

TARDY POLICY Do not be late to class. If you arrive more than 10 minutes late, you will be marked tardy; two times tardy equals an absence for grading purposes. If you arrive more than 20 minutes late, you are automatically considered absent.

CLASS PARTICIPATION You will receive points for class participation, in-class work, homework, and quizzes given. At the end of the semester, I will calculate your grade for these activities based on the ratio of your earned points to the total points possible. Coming to class without the materials necessary to complete your work will result in receiving an absence for that day. Missed in-class work may not be made up.

Use of cell phones and pagers is NOT allowed in the classroom. Any time your phone rings or is otherwise used in class, you will receive an absence. Further measures may also be taken to prevent this distraction. JOURNALS We will typically begin our class sessions with 10-15 minutes of writing on a selected topic. This writing will be handed in to me at the end of class. These journal entries are worth 10 percent of your course grade. Missed journal entries may not be made up.

RESPONSE PAPERS You will complete several typed responses to selected readings. These responses should include your reactions to the readings based on your knowledge and experience with the topics presented and your analysis of the effectiveness of the readings. These response papers should not be summaries of the readings.

WRITING WORKSHOPS When we have writing workshops (for revision and editing) in class, you must bring one typed, stapled copy of your essay to class and evaluate the required number of papers to receive full credit. Additionally, you may also be required to submit drafts to your peers for feedback via email. Missing any writing workshop—in class or online—will reduce your final essay grade and also counts as an absence. I will not read student essays during class; please see me during office hours if you would like my help.

CONFERENCES You will be required to meet with me during the writing process for select essays. Failing to keep your conference appointment is equal to an absence. Additionally, you may also be required to submit drafts to me for feedback via email.

GENERAL GUIDELINES Be sure to visit the English Department’s website at http://www.mtsu.edu/~english2 for more information on MTSU’s policies on civility in the classroom, academic dishonesty, disabled services, and absences/tardies. Also available are the English Department’s standards, goals, writing requirements and grading procedures for English 1010. Please Note: If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please provide a letter from Disabled Student Services to me at the beginning of the semester. I am happy to provide special accommodations but need to know in advance; please do not wait to give me your letter.

WRITING ASSISTANCE The Writing Center is located in PH 325 and on the web at www.mtsu.edu/~uwcenter for students to receive valuable one-on-one assistance with their writing. Conferences are available by appointment only (904-8237); don’t wait until the last minute to seek their help! Online writing assistance is also available. For hours, please visit the website. The Speaking and Writing Center is now open in Ezell Hal (904-8616); for help with group projects, for assistance with presentations and to make evening appointments, please visit this center.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND STUDENT LOANS You are responsible to be familiar with and adhere to the terms and conditions of whatever means of financial support you benefit from. In no instance can I be held responsible for any neglect of your duties. This applies in particular to the Hope scholarships that are lottery funded. To retain Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship eligibility, you must earn a cumulative TELS GPA of 2.75 after 24 attempted hours and a cumulative TELS GPA of 3.0 thereafter. A grade of C, D, F, or I in this class may negatively impact TELS eligibility. Dropping a class after 14 days may also impact eligibility; if you withdraw from this class and it results in an enrollment status of less than full time, you may lose eligibility for your lottery scholarship. The lottery appeal form may be obtained at http://financialaid.web.mtsu.edu/forms.htm. For more lottery information please see www.tennesseescholardollars.com. You can also find up to date information at http://mtsu32.mtsu.edu:11447/telsprogram.htm.

*****THIS IS A CONTRACT! This syllabus is a contract between you (as the student) and me (as the instructor). By staying in this class, you are agreeing to follow all the guidelines given above and to be responsible for your own actions. WEEK DATE CLASS ACTIVITY HAVE READ HAVE WRITTEN DUE 1 8-28 Syllabus and introduction 8-30 Prewriting tactics SFC 43-58 9-1 Diagnostic (Essay 1) 2 9-4 NO CLASS / LABOR DAY 9-6 Remix intro REM xxxi-lii 9-8 Entertainment REM 359-369, 371-375 SFC 15, Response paper 1 ------9-10 LAST DAY TO DROP W/OUT GRADE 3 9-11 The Point? (Essay 2: Entertainment) REM 454-457 Diagnostic Rev. 9-13 Comedy and Giant Balls of Yarn REM 390-410 Response 2 9-15 Grammar Workshop: Commas and SFC 108-109, HHH 57- Semicolons 70 4 9-18 Family TV REM 411-423, 436-437 9-20 Discrimination? REM 425-431, 449-453 Response 3 9-22 No class 5 9-25 Viewing Pleasure 9-27 Editing and Revising/Peer Revision Workshop SFC 59-76 Essay 2 rough draft 9-29 Conferences in AMG 304 6 10-2 Conferences in AMG 304 10-4 Romance REM 261-271, 290-291 Essay 2 10-6 Chick Flicks? REM 272-274, 292-295 7 10-9 Love’s Bitches REM 296-317 Response 4 10-11 Traditions REM 173-183 10-13 Food and Family REM 185-194 ------10-15 LAST DAY TO DROP WITH A “W” 8 10-16 FALL BREAK / NO CLASS 10-18 Grammar workshop: Trouble words SFC 91-93 10-20 College Ceremonies REM 201-213 Response 5 9 10-23 Presentations/peer review Essay 3 rough draft 10-25 Argots REM 253-257 10-27 Fashion Victims REM 69-76 10 10-30 Dawn of the Dead: Undead Mall Walkers Essay 3 11-1 Who do you think you are? (Essay 4, Identi- Response paper 6 kit) 11-3 Grammar Workshop: Clarity 11 11-6 Fragments of you REM 3-20 11-8 Creating an Identi-kit REM 80-83 11-10 I Hated the New Kids on the Block REM 65-68, 77-79 Response paper 7 12 11-13 Gender identity REM 21-39 11-15 Brainstorming: collaborative writing 11-17 Community REM 85-93 13 11-20 Who you know REM 150-160 11-22 Home REM 127-138 Response paper 8 11-24 THANKSGIVING BREAK / NO CLASS 14 11-27 Peer Review Essay 4 rough draft 11-29 Conferences 12-1 Conferences 15 12-4 Workshop 12-6 LAST DAY OF CLASSES, present kits Essay 4 due 12-7 UNIVERSITY STUDY DAY / NO CLASS FINAL EXAM: Dec. 14, 8:00-9:30 Evaluation