EN 110, Fall 2020
Professor: Bob Boon
Office: Cuples 425
Email: rboon@centralmethodist.edu
Office Hours: MWF 9-9:50 via Zoom. The English Dept. has decided to have a closed office space. Don’t just show up. https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/97762404092
COURSE INFORMATION
EN 110 B Composition I
Fall 2020
306 T Berry, MWF 10-10:50 am
CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION
EN110 introduces students to writing as a process, exploring genres and rhetorical situations, and using strategies to compose effective texts.
This course provides students with the foundations that prepare them for the demands of academic writing, especially the kinds of assignments encountered in other writing classes. In general, we’ll be working with various kinds of materials, exploring issues and ideas that require serious investigation. We’ll practice different ways of approaching writing assignments, including ways of gathering sources, taking notes and finding patterns, and producing documents that meet different goals. This course will also teach students to develop rhetorical sensitivity by responding to the writing of others and by using the suggestions of their teacher and their peers to improve their own writing.
This specific section will be organized around the general idea of the environment, in all the many ways that we interact with the world and its many other creatures, lands and waters.
TEXTBOOK INFORMATION
Clade. James Bradley. Titan Books, 2017. ISBN-10: 1785654144, ISBN-13: 978-1785654145
Zoom link: https://centralmethodist.zoom.us/j/93506830292
Panopto link: https://centralmethodist.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx?folderID=27931012-2d71-4149-883f-ac160101ee82
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
EN110: In the course of EN110, students will...
• Explore genre as a way to respond to various rhetorical situations and contexts
• Practice writing as a process that usually includes multiple drafts and revisions
• Give and act on productive feedback
• Use strategies—such as analysis, interpretation, synthesis, description, and summary—to compose texts that develop and support the writer's ideas
• Edit for style, correctness, and clarity
CMU MISSION STATEMENT
Central Methodist University prepares students to make a difference in the world by emphasizing academic and professional excellence, ethical leadership, and social responsibility.
CMU LEARNING OUTCOMES
Communication (articulate, multimodal, professional)
- Students are articulate, able to speak and write clearly and effectively.
- Students are multimodal, able to interpret and express ideas through multiple modes of communication.
- Students are professional, able to adapt to and interact with others in a confident, responsible, and engaged manner.
Curiosity (discover, analyze, create)
- Students can discover, explore, and seek solutions based on accumulated knowledge and current research.
- Students can analyze, evaluate, interpret, and summarize data.
- Students can create and innovate using critical thinking and collaborative skills.
Community (serve, respect, lead)
- Students will serve others and be ethical and informed citizens.
- Students will understand and respect diversity, including other’s viewpoints, positions, and beliefs
- Students will lead creatively and collaboratively to produce positive changes in the broader world.
STUDENTS REQUIRING SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS
Central Methodist University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual preference, religion, sex, national origin, age, or federally defined disability/state defined handicap ("disability"). This includes but is not limited to recruitment and admission of students, educational programs, services, activities, financial aid, and scholarship programs. The University complies with all federal and state non-discrimination requirements. The Center for Learning & Teaching at Central Methodist University is committed to ensuring nondiscrimination and equal access to all programs, service, and activities for qualified students with a disability. It is the responsibility of any student who wishes to claim a disability and seek an accommodation to file official documentation confirming the disability and a completed Disability Services Student Information Form with the Center of Learning and Teaching prior to seeking any accommodation based on the disability.
GRIEVANCE POLICY
Central Methodist University has established a grievance policy and process designed to provide students and others with a process to resolve potential issues. This policy and process is established to provide persons with an avenue to file a written concern and to establish a process to track and implement changes as a result of said concern. For more detailed information, consult the CLAS catalog at: http://www.centralmethodist.edu/academics/catalog/clas-catalog/policies/index.php.
If an issue cannot be solved through consultation with the faculty or division chair, students can report an incident/issue within 30 days of the event via the online web form https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?CentralMethodistUniv&layout_id=3
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND ACADEMIC CONDUCT
ACADEMIC CONDUCT: Any student found guilty of academic misconduct on any assignment, quiz or exam in this class will earn a zero for that assignment, quiz or exam. Furthermore, that student will come under the auspices of the Academic Conduct Policy of CMU. It is the student's responsibility to review and understand the CMU Academic Conduct Policy. Plagiarism falls under this code. I have no sense of humor nor forgiveness for any plagiarism. At best, plagiarized work will receive a zero and be formally reported to the Provost. Plagiarized work cannot be done over. Severe or repeated episodes of plagiarism will likely guarantee an F in the course and may result in the offender being dropped from the course.
Reading: I do expect each of you to read the course materials. I do consider consulting or copying from online summaries instead of reading the material itself to be a form of academic misconduct.
Group activities: I do expect each person in a group to participate reasonably and fairly. It is not acceptable to simply show up for a presentation without doing any of the preparation work. Do let me know if one or more group members is not contributing.
CLASS CONDUCT: In class, we need to be alert, civil and courteous to others. Partly this means being prepared for the day’s work; this also means staying reasonably focused on our activities. So, you shouldn’t be on Facebook or Snapchat or whatever other social media, not texting, not listening to music, not playing games, not watching sports during class. No earphones at any time. Don’t bring your phones out, especially not during group work. Use your iPads, but if you abuse the privilege, you may be asked to leave class and not return until we have a talk with your advisor.
Do be civil—we will discuss a number of controversial issues. You certainly don’t have to agree with everyone, or with me, but we do need to discuss issues, to argue productively, not insult or name-call. But you know these things.
WELLNESS AND SICKNESS POLICIES:
Wearing a face mask is about protecting others, our Central Methodist Community and the communities we work in. The primary purpose of wearing a face mask is to reduce the probability of virus spreading from the wearer (who may not know they are spreading the virus) into the environment and to others. The secondary purpose of the face covering is to reduce the likelihood that large droplets containing virus that are spread by others may enter the nose and mouth of the wearer. The use of a face mask does not replace the continued need to maintain physical distances from others, at least 6 feet, but instead augments physical distancing and helps us further reduce the likelihood of virus transmission. The complete CMU Face Mask Policy is available at: https://www.centralmethodist.edu/about/offices/human-resources/_docs/FaceCoveringPolicy.pdf
We do need to sanitize our class spaces as we leave. Please review the Safety Video, posted in the Announcements.
If you are ill, of course, do not come to class. Email me as soon as possible. · Being absent does not excuse you from turning in homework on myCMU on time. If there are extenuating circumstances, contact me within 24 hours of the missed deadline. It would be wise to complete and submit work as early as possible to avoid any emergency.
If you are in quarantine, accommodations will be determined in partnership with the Center for Learning and Teaching. These issues will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
As a responsible student, you should only miss classes if you are sick or displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or participating in a University Sanctioned Event. Missing class to finish homework or to take a friend to a doctor is not a wise choice.
Do be on time for class, whether we are meeting in person or via Zoom.
WRITING STUDIO: I will ask all of you to “attend” the Writing Studio at least 4 times this semester—twice before October 16, and twice by December 3. Because of COVID-19 risks, all Writing Center appointments will be online via the WCOnline interface this semester. To schedule an appointment, please go to either https://centralmethodist.mywconline.com/index or click on the “Academic Resources” icon on your iPad. Instructions for how to create an appointment are on the Login page. On the Appointment form, where it asks, “Would you like us to notify your instructor that you visited the Writing Center?” -- please make sure to click “Yes.” Be sure you sign up and check in to have me notified.. If you don’t accomplish this, you won’t get points for the visit. I need to get that official email from the Writing Center to give you points.
A couple more specifications—you do need to work on this course during the session. You need to not skip this class to do your Writing Studio. You can only attend the Writing Studio/Center for course points once during any given week.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: I tend to make frequent use of the Announcements in myCMU. You are responsible for information and course materials in the Announcements.
CLASS CANCELLATION: If there is a weather emergency, please check the CMU website for school cancellation. If I have a personal emergency or illness, I will attempt to post that in the course Announcements.
MAKE-UP AND LATE WORK: We have a fairly tight schedule, and so a caution—late work will put you at many disadvantages throughout the course, not only in terms of grades. Not being prepared is more than a little rude to the group and class members who depend on your active contribution. So, I do reserve the right to penalize or refuse entirely any late work throughout the semester. Any make-up work must be done within one week of the original due date. Email me to make arrangements.
ASSIGNMENTS AND POINTS BREAKDOWN
DESCRIPTION OF MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
Notice that all of these assignments involve several steps along the way. This will always include various brainstorming/invention activities, such as freewriting, so you will need to bring something to write with/on to every class. We will almost always work through stages of writing through group activities.
Plagiarism exercise: Please go to this website, http://www.lib.usm.edu/plagiarism_tutorial/, which contains a plagiarism tutorial. Work through the exercises and take the test at the very end. Post that result in myCMU, in some form, screenshot, download, or even just your own statement that you completed the exercise.
Where I Stand: This first essay should explain what you already know about environmental issues, explore how you learned what you have, and perhaps sketch out your initial beliefs. This is not at all a research exercise. Do not go look up outside information. Instead, write about your relevant experiences, whether in the classroom or in your wider life. 2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced.
Blog project: For this project, I will ask you to commit to one of 4 issue groups, which I will tentatively call conservation/extinction, energy/technologies, land use, and resources. Your group’s task will be to set up a blog using Blogger, and then on a regular basis to find new information relevant to your topic, to post a link, some brief summary, and some comment on it. We’ll discuss more details when we see how big the groups turn out to be. In general, I plan to have the posts due by Sunday night each week. Late postings will be penalized, since this greatly impacts other students.
Blog responses: Once we get the blogs set up, we will also set up followers. The job of each follower is to read and respond to various postings from the blog you read. I’m planning to have the responses due before class on Wednesday each week. In general, I’ll ask you to respond only to the most recent set of blog posts. A quick note—for no clear reason, Blogger doesn’t let people post responses when they are logged in with Safari. Try Firefox or some other browser.
Response papers: These informal papers will ask you to reflect and expand on your ideas about our book, Clade. These are not meant to be thesis-driven, 5 paragraph essays. Rather, each response paper is a place to test out your own ideas, to connect with your own experiences, your memories, travels, perhaps material from other classes, films, conversations you’ve had, and so on. 2 typed pages each. (Serious about two full pages.)
Clade online discussions: This semester, I’m going to move all the book discussions online. This way, I shouldn’t feel compelled to do dozens of reading quizzes, and you should feel rewarded for all your diligent reading. I’ll put specific instructions with each discussion, but in general, there will be a number of questions for you to work from. I’ll set this up with a minimum threshold, what’s enough to get a passing grade (which, by the way, is a D), and give you the opportunity to exceed that, by active contribution to the class discussion overall.
Film project/presentation: This is a group project. I’ll supply you with a list of film choices and ask each group to view and discuss its chosen film, in terms of what we learn about the environment from the film. Each group should then present an overview of the film—which means you do need to tell us the plot and main characters—and your group’s ideas about the film to the class. If possible, show a very brief film clip to the class to illustrate key points (preferably not a trailer). Do write, individually, a one-page paper to turn in to me, giving your key ideas, or disagreements with the group’s conclusions. This one page is due with the presentation, in myCMU.
Position paper: Later in the semester, I’ll ask you to write this more formal essay, telling us in detail what you have figured out about various environmental issues (or perhaps from your blog focus). 3 pages, typed, double-spaced.
Reflection essay: This essay comes at the very end of the semester. Its purpose is for you to think back on what you have learned from your overall reading and writing experiences, to make sense of it. This is not a simple summary exercise, but rather more a personal meditation on your own learning. This essay is also part of the CMU English Department’s assessment process. 3 pages, typed.
Portfolio: This activity is the other part of the assessment process. Each of you should, all semester long, be collecting samples of your writing, in all its many aspects. So, you might decide to include some of your freewriting, various drafts, part of your blogs, some finished essays…rather up to you. We’ll talk more about this as we go—but start right away, making a habit of keeping your writing. Your responsibility! At the end of the semester, we’ll talk more about how and where to upload this material.
N. b., Paper format: all papers should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font. I prefer Times New Roman. Page lengths: when a paper assignment asks, for example, for 2 pages, that means two full pages; a partial second page will not get full credit. Do not upload or send me anything like a google link or a pdf text. Stick to Word.
GRADING
100%-90% = A
89%-80% = B
79%-70% = C
69%-60% = D
59% or below = F
Assessment of Student Learning:
Your final grade in the class will be largely determined from these activities:
Where I Stand
Peer review 10
Final draft 50
Plagiarism exercise 5
Blog project (10 points each)
Blog responses (5 points each)
Film project/presentation 40
Film responses, online, each: 5
Response papers 45 (3 x 15)
Clade discussion posts 95 (1x5, 9x10)
Position paper 50
Reflection essay
Draft/peer review 10
Final draft 50
Portfolio 10
Writing Studio 20 (5 x 4 sessions)
In-class writing/activities/quizzes, as time permits. Points open-ended. All of the above is subject to change, especially is we encounter new conditions or needs as the semester progresses.
COURSE SCHEDULE: This schedule is subject to change or modification, though hopefully we will stay close to this outline. Readings should be done prior to class. Outside readings will be given as copies in class, or as web links. Notice that I haven’t included the grammar chapters on the schedule. We will address grammar, depending on general class needs.
Week 1 (August 19, 21)
W. Course introduction
Assign Where I Stand // Freewriting
Continue working on first essay
Week 2 (August 24-28)
Peer review of Where I Stand// Plagiarism exercise due
Where I Stand due // write about blog groups choices
Film: Before the Flood
Week 3 (August 31, September 2, 4)
Continue Before the Flood
Finish Before the Flood
Set up Blog groups// using Blogger
Week 4 (September 7-11)
First blog post due by Sunday, 9/6, midnight
Clade, “Solstice” [in-class discussion]
First blog responses due before W. class // first discussion posts on Clade due before class
Film project presentation: Children of Men (2006)
Week 5 (September 14-18)
Clade, “Monsoon” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Discussion of blogs
Film project presentation: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
Week 6 (September 21-25)
Clade, “Clade” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film project presentation: Silent Running (1972)
W and F, if the pandemic goes well, I’ll be out of town. See paddlemo.org //Response paper 1 due
Week 7 (September 28, 30, October 2)
Clade, “Breaking and Entering” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film project presentation: This is the End (2013) // Film: Chasing Ice [75 min.]
Week 8 (October 12-16)
Film: Chasing Ice // Clade, “Boiling the Frog” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film: Chasing Ice
Film project presentation: Rain Man (1988) // F. 10/16, last day for the first part of going to the Writing Studio.
Week 9 (October 19-23)
Clade, “The Keeper of Bees” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film project presentation: Honeyland (2019)
Response paper 2 due
Week 10 (October 26-30)
Clade, “A Journal…” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film project presentation: I Am Legend (2007)
Check in on Portfolio
Week 11 (November 2-6)
Clade, “Echo” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Position paper due
Film project presentation: A.I. (2001)
Week 12 (November 9-13)
Clade, “1420 MHz” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Film project presentation: Contact (1997)
Week 13 (November 16-20)
Clade, “The Shimmer” [discussion posts and responses due by previous Saturday midnight]
Assign Reflection essay
Response paper 3 due / Brainstorming on Reflection essay
Thanksgiving Break
Week 14 (November 30, December 2, 4)
Reflection essay peer review
Thursday, December 3, last day for Writing Studio points!
M. December 7, Reflection essay and Portfolio due