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English 1002.004Becoming Critical Consumers:Composition in This Media Age
download a copy of this syllabus in Word
Instructor: Jennifer Ellis West • Louisiana State University • Summer 2006 • Coates 263A • MTWThF 8:40-9:40 • Office: Allen 43 • Phone: 578-6829 • E-mail: writingclassroom@gmail.com • Website: http://www.writingclassroom.com/ • Office Hours: MW, 9:45-11:15 • Email or chat hours: TTh, 9-10 pm (we may change these, depending on your schedules and preferences) Course DescriptionThe purpose of this course is to help you develop your critical thinking, researching, and writing abilities. We will interpret and analyze the rhetoric of a variety of media, paying particular attention to how we, as consumers of popular culture, receive and react to different kinds of texts. We will use writing to question, analyze, explore, and assemble our own ideas about the messages we receive on a daily basis, what those messages tell us about our culture, and ultimately what our interactions with media in/of our culture tell us about ourselves. We will engage in many forms of writing and research, producing a total of 4 finished and evaluated writing projects in 4 different genres. Course Objectives
FAQ: What Will You Need?1. Internet access and access to Microsoft WORD, either where you live, or in one of the college computer labs. 2. A PAWS account and/or other email account that you check regularly. 3. A storage device of some sort (jump drive, TigerBytes, email, etc.) to keep digital copies of your work. 4. Commitment to your writing and to your writing community (this class!) 5. We will not have a textbook, per say, but rather an assemblage of online readings that you will be responsible for accessing through the website. If you don’t have a computer at home, you’ll need to print the articles out, which you can do in the lab just outside of our classroom for $0.05 per page (I think you have to use your Tiger card). The reading and assignment schedule will be updated daily; check often. How the Course Will Work? 1. This course is designed primarily as a writing workshop. We are meeting in a computer lab, and therefore will be working at writing during our class time. However, you will be expected to complete the reading assigned and writing assigned for that class period before coming to the lab, both in order to be prepared to participate AND to receive full credit for participation. 2. This class will rely heavily on your interactions with one another. You will read and respond your peers’ writing, and they will respond to yours. You will also participate in large and small group discussions. In each case, you will be expected to work to the best of your ability, offering your best thoughts, and listening carefully and respectfully to others. 3. All assignments will be submitted electronically, and you are responsible for retaining “back up” copies of all submissions. As a precaution, you should copy yourself on all emails you send. What Will You Write? You will complete four writing projects in four genres—a media autobiography, an advertisement analysis and response, a research report, and a researched investigative essay. You will also give an oral presentation as part of the larger research project. Other writing during the course will include peer responses, blog entries, and reading responses. How Will You Be Evaluated? I will give you detailed written evaluations of each finished piece of writing you submit; these evaluations are intended to help you see what you are doing well and what you need to work on. The final writing assignments and the components for each unit will contribute to the final course grade. The following suggested percentages will give you a guideline to keep track of your own progress in the course. All four major essays/projects MUST be submitted to receive course credit; failure to turn in one of them will result in an F for the semester. Other homework assignments, in-class writing, consistent attendance, regular blogging, and class participation will influence the final grade. Media Autobiography: 20%; Advertisement Analysis: 20 %; Research Report and Oral Presentation: 15%; Researched Essay: 35%; Class Participation, Homework, and Quizzes: 10% What Other Things Do You Need to Know? 1. Attendance is essential to your success. Since this class is a workshop, the other writers in the class will be depending on your contributions for their own writing, not only on your presence in class, but on your thorough completion of the assignments. If an absence is unavoidable, please notify me at least a day in advance, preferably by email. In a seven-week course, missing more than a couple of times will not only negatively affect your participation average but will also prevent you from performing to your best ability on the assignments. My best advice for doing well in this course is to be here and be prepared. 2. You are responsible for keeping up with in-class and out-of-class assignments. The schedule of due dates and homework assignments can be located on our class website. Announcements and new assignments will be regularly posted; you are responsible for checking it on a regular basis. From time to time, I will also send out email reminders; you should get in the habit of checking your email regularly as well. 3. Academic Dishonesty: Academic honesty is required in all courses at Louisiana State University. Plagiarism cases are reported to the Dean of Students for action. The punishment for a plagiarism at Louisiana State University is given in the Code of Student Conduct, Section 5.1. Students should acquaint themselves with the Code of Student Conduct. Plagiarism can result in dismissal from the university or a failing grade in the course. If you have questions about using borrowed material in an essay or how to properly acknowledge sources, please check with me before the essay is submitted. 4. All work must be completed and submitted on time. I reserve the right to dock your grade if you turn in late work. 5. Learning to write is a collaborative activity. You are expected to fully participate in group activities and to respond to your classmates’ work as if it were your own. Reading other students’ work will help you become more fluent in revising your writing; your suggestions will also help your fellow writers to see things in their own writing they might not otherwise see. You are expected to know and abide by LSU’s Commitment to Community. 6. Most importantly, this classroom is a space where RESPECT for me, for yourself, and for your fellow classmates is absolutely required. No cell phones or pagers should be used in class, nor should they be openly displayed. If yours rings during class, or if you are using class time for text-messaging or game-playing, you will forfeit your participation points for that day. The same goes for un-class-related computer activities: IMing, surfing the net, game-playing, and otherwise not giving your full and undivided attention to your class work will result in a loss of your points for the day as well. Basically, being here means really being here, with your complete physical and mental presence; anything less than that is disrespectful of all of us—we’re depending on your contribution. Where Can You Get Help?
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