English 1010 Introduction to Writing
Requirements
You will receive an attendance grade for your participation in group and
individual writing activities that are part of almost every class. By not
showing up (or not showing up on time), you deprive yourself of
valuable class discussion, just as you deprive your fellows students of your
own insights—the centerpiece of our collaborative enterprise a.k.a. as
teaching and learning. So, it's quite simple: Be there in body and mind! —
You will be allowed three (= 3) "freebies," which are intended
to cover such emergencies as the day you were sick, going hunting, gambling
in Las Vegas, or flying on the Space Shuttle . . . . You get the drift.... If you have more than
three absences---regardless of reason---you jeopardize your good standing in the class and thus your final
grade.
You will be given 4 larger essay assignments over the course of the semester (3-5 pages). Each of these assignments will routinely consist of notebook entries, class discussion, (several) workshops, a first draft and a second (perhaps even a third) draft. One of the most important insights I would like you to gain from this class is that every essay is, in a sense, only a draft, an incomplete and unfinished piece of writing, regardless of its erudition and elegance. The idea that an essay is "complete and perfect" is only an illusion. For that reason, and to encourage you to revise (= "re-visit") your writing, you may rewrite (we call it, rewrite "substantially" or "globally") your essays as the semester progresses or as it draws to a close. At the end of the semester, you can then hand in a sampling of the best of your revised work as a portfolio for an additional, final evaluation. (An assignment not handed in is naturally excluded from this option). I will share with you some of the specifics later. Your final grade will be made up of the following components and their percentages:
| Four essay assignments (10% each) | 40 % |
| Notebook and in-class writing assignments | 20 % |
| Class and workshop participation and attendance | 20 % |
| End-of-semester portfolio and final exam | 20 % |