Syllabus
Purpose of the Course:
English 120 is a writing course
whose purpose is to provide you with opportunities to practice
writing, refining, and revising arguments with the input of your
instructor (me) and your peers (classmates). This section of 120
requires you to read and think about connections between technology
and education, specifically ways in which technology could be
used on NDSU's campus in support of your education. This course
is using a problem-based model, meaning you will be presented
with a problem, you will research that problem in teams through
a variety of research tools, and you will provide a possible solution
to that problem.
Course Objectives:
Throughout the course, you will :
- practice writing argumentative texts and
evaluating arguments and assumptions in published texts.
- study the generic conventions of argument
in a variety of academic disciplines.
- evaluate sources—both in on-line and
print media—in order to understand their political positions
as well as their appropriateness for your specific purposes.
- begin reading, writing, and thinking critically
and constructively about the role of technology in writing
education and in our universities.
- design rhetorically appropriate academic
documents.
- deliver rehearsed, rhetorically appropriate
oral presentations.
Texts:
We'll discuss this in class.
Format for written assignments:
Out-of-class assignments must be typed and
must show attention to the needs of your audience (that means
the form and format will vary, but must be appropriate, and usually
within the conventional norms for the type of document you're
designing). Your work needs to show attention to the visual design
of the page, creating documents that help the reader through the
material by employing headers and bulleted lists when appropriate,
using enough white space, etc. (For more information on page design,
follow this link:
Page Design.)I require that you always print a copy of your
document for your records. Never hand in your only copy of a document.
In addition, have a copy in your computer file and have a copy
on a backup disk. This is for your own protection in case of lost
projects. Though I have yet to lose a student's document, you
don't want to be the first.
Attendance:
I have to be here; I'm a teacher
and it's my job. I assume you will be here, because you are students
and that's your job. If you can't be here because of another commitment,
you'll need to take another section of this course that meets
at a more convenient time. As at a job, much of what we do in
class is collaborative in nature, so absences hurt those people
counting on you, as well as hurt your ability to complete your
work adequately. Because I want you to think of this class as
a job, you will have two sick days and one personal day each semester.
The sick days are excused only if followed (the next class period)
by a memo, the personal day is excused only if preceded by a memo.
If you do miss class,
it is most important that you tell your other group members that
you will not be there. E-mail or call them. And be sure you get
them to fill you in on what you missed. It is your responsibility
to find out about missed work from other students and to make
it up where possible.
In case of family
emergency or serious illness, contact your advisor or the office
of Dean of Students as soon as possible. Either will provide excuses
to all your classes—no memo required. Absences for official
university business must be cleared well in advance to be excused.
(And it is assumed that if you know you will have official absences
there will be no additional absences.) If you miss more than a
week of class (3 classes), you will be dropped from group work
and I will ask you to drop the course. Because group work is an
important requirement of the course, you will not be able to pass
the class without adequately completing group assignments.
Due Dates:
Because I advocate a process
approach to writing, I expect you to rethink and revise documents
throughout the semester. Therefore, I can be flexible on the due
dates for major assignments. The projects are large, though, and
I don't want you to be scrambling to complete all of them during
finals week, so I've included some due dates on the assignment
sheets to help you plan your time. However, the minor assignments
are designed to help us (you and I) evaluate your progress on
the major assignments; therefore, I'll want at least drafts of
them by the due dates on the assignment sheets. Please turn in
papers in class or during office hours, and not into my mailbox,
or under my door, or anyplace else where they might be misplaced.
Plagiarism:
I assume all the work you turn in will be your
own. This doesn't mean that I do not encourage you to collaborate
with others in this class, or get input or feedback from other
class members or outside sources. But the work you turn in must
be yours and must cite secondary sources in a manner consistent
with NDSU University Senate policy, Section 335: Code of Academic
Responsibility and Conduct. For more details see: http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm.
If you are having difficulty citing sources, please talk to me
as you turn in a paper, so I can provide specific feedback.
Special Needs:
If you have any disabilities or special needs,
or need special accommodations in this course, please share your
concerns or requests with me as soon as possible.
