2024F 121Z-04

Fall 2024TTh 10:00 - 11:50 a.m.McLoughlin 202

James Bryant-TreriseOffice: Rook 226503-594-3255jamesb@clackamas.eduOffice hours:M-Th 9:30-10:00;M and W 3:00-4:00

Objectives: Click to read what you're learning and what I'm teaching.

Here are the state-wide objectives for Writing 121. I’ll be using these objectives at the end of the term to determine whether or not you’ve passed the class. By the end of the quarter you will be able to 1. apply rhetorical concepts through analyzing and composing a variety of texts;2. engage texts critically, ethically, and strategically to support writing goals;3. identify and apply some basic elements of information literacy and critical thinking such as locating and analyzing sources, evaluating evidence, and answering objections;4. develop flexible composing, revising, and editing strategies for a variety of purposes, audiences, writing situations, and genres;5. reflect on knowledge and skills developed in this course and their potential applications in other writing contexts.

Course Objectives and Description

On page two of this syllabus...

"Should I cli above?"

You probably don't need to click on these links just yet (if you're reading this at the beginning of the term). But keep them in mind! Try to remember: if you're feeling overwhelmed, there's help--of various kinds.

• computer (you can't write well on a phone!)

Things You Need

There's no textbook to buy!

Click here to go to the schedule on the class web site on Moodle

"What's Due When?"

Yes, click on the schedule. You'll need to--a lot. Stay on track! Be organized!

Click here for a site that might help you get and stay organized...but if you find a different site that helps better, more power to you. (And let me know!)

Click this Moodle link for the diagnostic writing assignment, which is due during week one. (The exact due date and time are on the schedule and assignment.)

Week One Need to Do

Nothing in this class gets points or letter grades attached to it...but you will have a grade at the end of the term, and you'll know how to get it.

Grading System

Should you read the above?Click here for an answer...

Maybe you don't need to read the objectives right away. They're important, but they are definitely "teacher talk," and they're something you're more likely to grasp as we go than something you'll get clarity on by reading now. But read the section titled "Description," because it explains why I think you should be in this class, which might help you understand where I'm coming from with what I ask you to do. In fact, maybe you should email me a personal two- or three-sentence response to that description. That could help me get to know you as a student, which will help me teach you.

Writing 121z-04Syllabus

Why this system? Because I hate grading more than you do.Click if you want to know why.

Here are the reasons I think that grading in college works against your becoming an educated person. These are all claims that I have become convinced of over the years; I am not here giving you why I believe the claims below to be true, because that would make this pop-up window too long! But by all means ask me personally for the evidence or reasoning I have for believing a particular claim or claims. (Or you can just read this article or this one.)

• Grades strongly influence you to believe that the rating, not the educational content, is what's important, and believing that anything but the educational content is important keeps you from retaining that content.
• When we focus on feedback instead of grading, you learn more from my feedback; in other words, when there's a grade, you don't pay as much attention to my feedback, especially if you're satisfied with the grade.
• Grades increase the unhealthy kind of stress.
• Neither I nor the overwhelming majority of your college teachers has received any training at all in grading (its usefulness and effects) or in alternatives; we merely copy what others have done and then modify that based on experience. (Your teachers in previous schooling may have received some training...but I doubt it in most cases.)
• Grading (in the normal way grades are done) takes a huge amount of my time, which results in less of my time available for helping you write better. (And no, a grade on your essay does not help you write better. My feedback helps you write better.)
• Grades give the illusion of objectivity, especially when points or percentages are used. But ALL grading is subjective (including, for example, grades in math).
• They are a blunt instrument: they cannot tell the complex story of your schoolwork. (My wife says, "It's like trying to decide who's the prettiest--Elizabeth Taylor? Sophia Loren? Marilyn Monroe?" (Yes, she and I are revealing our age...deal with it.)

Description: Click for an overview of what the class is about, why it's important, and how it will operate.

This class is not required as part of your education because you will need to write in your careers, even though most well-paying careers do in fact require some writing. This class is required because a well-written essay is the product of personal commitment, thorough contemplation, and coherent presentation. These qualities are essential for critical thinking and effective communication, and these skills are necessary in citizens of our society. This class is required because your community and the country need people with these skills and because you benefit intellectually and emotionally from having them. In this university-level writing course, we will—of course—be learning how to write for college. To be more specific, we’ll be using reading, discussion, and writing both informal and formal as both the practice and the product; in other words, the activities we do in class and the reading and writing I assign are all intended to build skills that good writers have made into habits. And these habits are both intellectual (they’re about how good thinking creates good writing) and physical (they’re about what we do in order to write well). The formal essays I’ll ask you to turn in over the course of the term will be the result and manifestation of the habits that I’ll ask you to practice as we lead up to the essays. Then it’ll be up to you to apply those habits in the writing you’ll continue to do in college and beyond.

Click here for the grading system.

Step One: Both the essays in your portfolio at the end of the term must meet most of the applicable objectives listed on the syllabus. If they don’t, you won’t pass the class, regardless of what happens with assignments or in-class work. At the conferences you and I will have in response to your first two essays, I will let you know which objectives you have passed and whether or not your essay as a whole passes. If both your essays pass in the portfolio, we go on to step two.Step Two: I’ll assign an A-D based on the following three factors, which are the activities that will improve your writing:

• your assignments are done thoughtfully and in full and on time;
• both your essays and your essay writing process show improvement;
  • for the essays, “improvement” will mean that you improve them from a first version to the portfolio version, enacting recommendations I make in our conferences and doing more than correcting errors;
  • for your writing process, “improvement” will mean you apply what the class is teaching;
• you participate conscientiously in class, which means you’re prepared for class discussions, contribute to group work responsibly, and respond when called upon;
• you satisfactorily complete the rhetorical analysis assignment (the one assigned in week eight).

If and when your portfolio passes according to step one, you'll receive an A if you’ve accomplished all four of the above, a B if three, a C if two, and a D if one or none.

Click this Moodle link for the "Writing Principles Presentation" assignment. In week one, you need to select a topic and due date.

• internet service

• printer (yes, really! Hover here for why)

This is for both you and me. Reading and thinking about and evaluating your writing go better for me with printed copy. And as for you...you think better when at least part of your writing and revising processes happen on paper.

Click on me for a quasi-personal greeting.

...is info on

• resources for you
• essay writing
• my attendance policy
• stuff you need to know if you need to withdraw

...mostly some nitty-gritty rules for how we'll operate in particular situations. Click here for page two.

Need help with internet access? Want free printing or a computer loan? Click here.

(besides paper and pen/pencil)

https://youtu.be/RpCHm9FpqEk

(click here if you want page one)

James Bryant-TreriseOffice: Rook 226503-594-3255jamesb@clackamas.eduOffice hours:M-Th 9:30-10:00;M and W 3:00-4:00

Why write essays? Why learn to write better essays? Click for my answer.

There are many answers, but here's mine. Because a good essay is the result of good thinking, good discipline, and good awareness of other points of view. It is simultaneously self-centered and focused on others: it’s self-centered, because it’s about what YOU want to say (if you don’t have anything to say, you can’t write well, and if you’re not committed to what you have to say, you won’t write well); and it’s focused on others, because without thinking of others in developing and communicating what you want to say, the communication won’t happen. Writing is such a huge part of your college education precisely because of this dual nature. Your community needs you to be simultaneously focused on yourself, so that you can come up with good ideas, and on others, so that those ideas relate to them and so that you can communicate effectively.

Essay Writing

Resources for You

You probably don't need to click on these links just yet (if you're reading this at the beginning of the term). But keep them in mind! Try to remember: if you're feeling overwhelmed, there's help--of various kinds.

"Should I cli above?"

You probably don't need to click on these links just yet (if you're reading this at the beginning of the term). But keep them in mind! Try to remember: if you're feeling overwhelmed, there's help--of various kinds.

In general...please don't. It's distracting.You'll occasionally need to access Moodle or something else online during class, but please do so only when directed.

If you really need to be convinced that in-class electronics use is distracting, click here.

In-Class Electronics

"What if I'm absent a lot?"Click for my answer.

If so, please talk to me. I have a policy (see below), but...please talk to me. If you're excessively absent without talking to me about your situation, you will not receive credit for the course. Let's call more than four times "excessively."

Attendance and Participation

"Why do you have an attendance policy when I only harm myself with absences or tardiness?"

Because you do NOT only harm yourself. I structure the class so that you are often talking to and sharing with others, so if you're not present (or, to a lesser degree, if you're late), you are not bringing your brain and experience and perspective to the conversation, and the conversation suffers as a result. It suffers without you. Your classmates won't do as well without your presence, and their presence in turn makes you a sharper thinker and writer. Perhaps it goes without saying that your classmates also suffer if you are in class but unprepared or unwilling to participate.

Click here if you need to withdraw or change your grading option...or if you're simply not showing up.

It’s your responsibility to take care of your college record! Please note that I do not put a “W” or “N” on your grade report without a good reason. In other words, if you’re going to withdraw or switch to the pass/no pass option, make that decision before you need my signature. The deadline for a "W' is the end of the eighth week, and the deadline for the "N" is the end of the tenth week. Also, if you simply stop showing up for class and do not officially withdraw or talk to me, you’ll receive an F. Please take care of your own record! And talk to me about difficulties you're having!

Some Special Circumstances

Assignments, Readings, Due Dates, Moodle...

you're on page two of the Writing 121z-04Syllabus

What are essays in this class going to be about? Click for my answer.

You can't write well unless you're committed to your topic. But you and your classmates have a large diversity of things you're committed to; some things that are important to you are silly to others, and vice versa. So how do I choose essay topics for our diverse class? The answer is right in front of us: We all have in common the fact that we're in college. So I assume that you’re committed to your education here at CCC; whether you feel forced into it or you've chosen it, you are committed to it. Thus, you’ll find that all our discussions and all the essays you’ll write in this class have to do in some manner with your college education. My hope is that my choice of this theme as the basis of our class will help you to be writing about something that directly affects you.

Due Dates/Late Policy (click)

All assignments will have a due date and time specified on the syllabus; if they're turned in on Moodle, there will also be a specification on the submission link. Late assignments go to the bottom of my “to do” list, and any subsequent on-time papers get done before late papers do. In other words, if you turn in something late, it’ll be a while before you get any feedback. Assignments to be shared with classmates, such as drafts of papers, are due at class time (or at the time specified on a Moodle assignment link) and are not accepted any other time.

Click for my "Threshold Policy" (regarding Standard Written English)

At this level, you should be able to write clear, coherent sentences. I expect your formal essays to be mostly clear, grammatically correct and free of misspellings and typos. If your writing does not meet this basic threshold requirement on any formal written assignment, the assignment won't pass even if other factors are good (quality of ideas, support, etc.). Also, if you consistently fail to meet this basic threshold requirement throughout the term, I will not consider other factors in determining your final grade. No, I'm not saying you need to use perfect expression to pass this class. I'll put it bluntly: if your English expression is very poor, that's where this policy kicks in.

"What if I'm late a lot?"Click for my answer.

Lateness is disrespectful and disruptive. When you are late, you force your group to backtrack to catch you up, and you disrupt whoever is speaking and whoever is listening. Nonetheless, better late than not present at all.

Writing Center -- free help for all your college writing! Click for an explanation and links.

The Writing Center is available for free one-on-one tutoring, for any writing assignment, in any class, or even writing you need to do outside of school. Click here for an informational flier about tutoring options, or click here to log on to the Writing Center's appointment schedule and links. Finally, if you're signing up for an online tutoring session, click here for some tips for making that session successful.

Disability Resource Center -- Click for an explanation and link.

Please use the Disability Resource Center if you have a documented disability, or if you suspect you have one. They're there to help! To make an appointment with the DRC, contact 503-594-6357 or DRC@clackamas.edu.

Counseling -- Free counseling! (click)

Don't think of this service as only for personal crises (though it is certainly for that also). It's also to help you with less dramatic issues, such as time management and personal decision-making. Call 503-594-3176, or email counseling@clackamas.edu. Basic Needs Security If you have difficulty affording groceries or accessing sufficient food to eat, or if you lack a safe and stable place to live, and if you believe this situation affects your performance in this course, contact the Counseling Office at the numbers above.

Other assistance -- financial, computer borrowing, free printing, basic needs, etc. (click)

Emailing Me

Email me whenever you like! I promise to respond within 24 hours, unless you email me between 3 p.m. on a Friday and 12 a.m. on a Monday...in which case I'll respond on Monday.

If I do NOT reply when I say I will... (hover here)

...your email probably went to my spam folder. (Don't take it personally.) My apologies, and please try again, or call me at 503-594-3255.

Plagiarism note (click here)

You are plagiarizing when, without proper acknowledgement, you use someone else’s work, in part or whole, whether quoting or using your own words, or when you receive “help” to the extent that the paper is no longer in your words or is no longer your own idea. Work you’ve plagiarized may not be revised; a second plagiarism will result in your failing the course. If you wish to use information or ideas from other sources, you must document them; click here for more (and there are, of course, many other explanations online). We will be going over this issue in class. Per college policy, I will report all incidents of plagiarism to the administration.

Where to find writing and reading assignments

All assignment descriptions can be found on the class web site on Moodle. Also, all our readings will come from the web: either you’ll find a document on the class web site, or you’ll find a link to another site. Please talk to me right away if you don' t have a computer to use or don't know how to access Moodle. The campus might has computers you can borrow, and it has computers on campus for general use.

Please no Google docs! Hover here for what to do instead.

I don't use Google Drive or Google Docs! I try to stay away from that many-tentacled monster. Turn assignments in to me either printed or as a Word doc or a PDF; click here for how to save a Google file in one of those formats.

Click here for Moodle Help

If you are new to online learning or Moodle, here are several help options:

• I strongly suggest that you complete the Moodle 101 Student Orientation. You can self-enroll here.
• For personal assistance, connect with the technology tutors. Click here and scroll to "Technology Tutoring" (and notice all the other tutoring options available to you as a student at CCC).
• Call 503-594-6632 or email online@clackamas.edu for help.
• For Moodle and other technology FAQs, click here.

Click here for some advice on crafting effective emails.