Mackenzie Cole
Mailbox: LA 133
Class Location/Hours: LA 102 3:40-5:00 T/Th
Office Hours: COR 254 T/Th 5-6
Email: mackenzie.cole@umontana.edu
Class Blog: http://mackenziewrit101.blogspot.com/
WRIT 101.28: Composition and Sustainability
This course will focus on the craft of writing and argumentation using the concept of sustainability as a lens for exploration. We'll study the terms and concepts of rhetoric and how to read critically in order to give effective as well as helpful criticism to our fellow writers. You'll be responsible for writing and revising your own work and responding to your peers' work as well as completing all reading assignments. We'll read and discuss essays by established authors and try and dissect them to see the strategies they used to create interesting and effective arguements. But most of all, we'll work together to help each others' writing grow.
Here, at the University of Montana, the WRIT 101 program looks into sustainability as a big idea to focus our writing and inquiry. Perhaps the most common definition of sustainability is simply “meeting today’s needs without jeopardizing the well-being of future generations” (Owens 1). It encompasses a range of economic, environmental, and social issues. We’ll be exploring and questioning concepts of sustainability with the hope that you’ll begin to consider how sustainability figures into your evolving worldview.
WRIT 101 focuses on sustainability for a couple of reasons: first, we quite simply care about the environment and human rights but recognize that the enormity of such problems as global warming or racism might seem too daunting to change. People don’t necessarily feel they have the power, the wherewithal, or the agency to change the world. Learning to write in college is a means of becoming engaged readers and writers, continuing on a path of becoming active, agile, and reflective learners. Learning to write in college often means considering where you stand in relationship to others’ beliefs, learning to work collaboratively and productively with others, and learning to critically engage new ideas and practices. These habits of mind are vital for college researchers and writers as well as citizens in our world.
We’ll explore sustainability in our writing assignments and readings in order to develop abilities to think, read, and write rhetorically to better communicate in the world. You’ll inquire into different personal, academic, and civic contexts and read, analyze, and compose in different genres. You’ll also further develop flexible reading, writing, and research processes to help you develop as an academic and civic participant. Much of your work will involve different kinds of collaboration, including small group workshops and discussions that will take place in class, in conference, and in electronic forums.
Course Texts/Composing Spaces
Text Book Ballenger, Bruce. The Curious Writer. 4th Custom Edition for the University of Montana. New York: Longman. 2010.
This text introduces and explores the primary course content: the ways of reading, writing, and researching you will engage in throughout the semester. The subject matter of class discussions and assignments will be based on The Curious Writer. Please bring this text to every class. Please note you must use this edition, as prior editions have very different content and different pagination.
Reference Lunsford, Andrea. The Everyday Writer. 4th edition. Custom Edition for the University of Montana. Boston, MA: Bedford’s/St. Martins. 2010.
This text is a resource for everything from portfolio keeping, writing and thinking to MLA documentation to information about grammar and punctuation. You’ll use it during the semester to help you compose polished prose and document sources appropriately. This text will be a reference you’ll return to throughout your college career. This text also includes useful information about writing courses at UM, including common policies.
Working Folder/ Final Portfolio
You’ll be asked to keep an electronic and print working folder of all your writing throughout the semester. At midterm you’ll write a reflection on the working folder, and, at the end of the semester, you’ll construct a final portfolio that will include your three inquiry projects, selected invention and drafting, and an introduction to the portfolio. It’s essential that you keep all of the work you produce in the course, in electronic form and hard copy. You’ll work with the Portfolio Keeping tab, included in The Everyday Writer, to learn what it means to keep a portfolio in WRIT 101.
Electronic Readings
You may be asked to sign on to E-reserve or get online and read related articles or essays to supplement the course texts. Be prepared to print these readings to bring to class. The majority of these readings WILL NOT be found on the blog for copyright reasons. Please follow the links to E-reserve from our blog to obtain these readings.
Class Blog http://mackenziewrit101.blogspot.com/
The class blog is a space to continue our discussions outside of class, keep track of homework, distribute reading and have fun. Please note the blog is a public space and your work may be viewed by anyone who happens across it on the web. Remember this when posting/commenting. The blog also serves as a space for you to share your work with the class and to ask questions.
Major Assignments
I will give you a detailed assignment sheet as we begin each of these major assignments:
• Inquiry Project 1: Life Place Essay (1,000 words)
• Reflective Essay (500-750 words)
• Inquiry Project 2: Op-ed (700-1,000 words)
• Inquiry Project 3: Personal Academic Argument (2,000-3,000 words)
• Reflective Portfolio Introduction (500-750 words)
These projects will give you the opportunity to compose in a variety of genres for a range of academic and civic situations. You’ll have opportunities to use observations and experience as evidence, as well as learn rhetorical strategies for composing effective arguments and conducting academic research.
You will have the chance to develop all of your major assignments through a process of inquiry and drafting. You’ll compose papers in and out of class. For some of your writings, I’ll ask you to bring enough draft copies to share with your group or ask you to work electronically. All major projects must be completed satisfactorily for you to pass the course.
Common Policies and Procedures
See UMM10-14 in The Everyday Writer (4th edition) for WRIT 101 information related to registration, attendance, Academic Conduct, Students with Disabilities, Participation Grade Descriptors, and Portfolio Grade Descriptors.
Participation. Participation includes coming to class or conference or electronic forums prepared and on time, taking part in class discussions (this involves listening/reading as well as writing/speaking), asking questions, contributing your knowledge and insights in whatever form is appropriate, and striving to make all your contributions excellent. It also includes doing the required reading and writing for each class. Note: Please come to class on time. Lateness will hurt your grade because it is an unnecessary interruption to the classroom community and because latecomers are will miss valuable instruction. Because this class is process oriented, each day builds on previous work. Therefore, attendance is essential. One key to doing well in this course is talking with me if you’ve had an absence or anticipate a string of absences so we can go over what will be covered in class. 3 absences will result in loss of one letter grade and 4 absences will result in an F. Please see Participation Grade Descriptors in the EW for more information on absences.
Group Work and Workshop. Group work is essential to this class. Working in groups will allow you to become better established with your peers and give you an opportunity to receive deeper, considerate criticism on your writing. Workshop can be a great boon to your work. As writers, we create worlds inside our minds. Oftentimes, when we try and translate those landscapes into language we don't have a sense for how other people interpret them. Workshop allows us a window on our readers. It opens up new directions for us to discuss different approaches to accomplishing our goals. Often, even when people don't understand your intent their response can still help you realize what to change. For that reason, we'll discuss different strategies for workshopping and what they can do.
Please come to workshop with the best of intentions. Workshop only succeeds if we as a class work to make it a fun and healthy space where each of us feel comfortable sharing our writing. If at any time you feel another member of the workshop is treating you unfairly, being mean or rude, please do not hesitate to come talk to me. Especially if you feel that person is me. Try to remember that often times criticisms of your work are only meant to help.
Revision. Writing takes work. Much of that work happens in revision. For that reason we'll spend some time talking about tools both for generating and revising your writing during the first few weeks of class. In addition, the feedback from workshop will be essential later on in helping you to produce your portfolio assignment. Please take notes on workshop discussions and hold on to comments so that you can reference them both in your discussion of your revisions and the revisions themselves.
Late Work. Late work is unacceptable. If you miss a draft deadline, you’ve missed a crucial chance for feedback on your work. If you aren’t ready with a response to a group member’s draft, you’re letting down someone who is counting on you for help. If you aren’t prepared for class, you limit your own voice and contributions to the class and community of writers and readers. If you ever have a problem with an assignment, talk to me in advance of the deadline and you may be able to negotiate a special arrangement. Deadlines are not negotiable after you’ve missed them.
Office Hours. Office hours provide us with an opportunity to talk one on one. Please drop in during these times or make an appointment with me to talk about any questions you have about your progress in the course. Please let me know at the end of class if you plan to attend office hours for that day.
Communication. I’m happy to talk with you via university email if you have a question about the course or an assignment. Please do not email me drafts or attachments, text or IM me unless invited to do so. I will respond to emails Monday through Friday within 48 hours.
Schedule. Be sure to note the due dates of these major assignments on a calendar so as not to miss them. Dates are tentative and may be revised upon consulting with the class.
Unit 1: Life Place Essay: Thursday, Feb 9th
Unit 2: Reflective Essay: Tuesday, Feb 28th
Unit 3: Op-Ed: Tuesday, Mar 20th
Unit 4: Personal Academic Argument: Thursday, April 19th
Final Portfolio: Wednesday May 8th 4:00
Classroom Community. Community is important in a small workshop class; we will work together to create an environment that promotes collaborative learning and effective, thoughtful discussion. The student conduct code asks students to “respect the rights, privileges, and dignity of others” – these are important ways to engage in class discussion, particularly when the topic might be provocative.
It's also important to remember to comment on each other's written works with these ideas in mind. Criticism should attempt to be positive, to work to make the other person's writing better. Simply writing "good" or "bad" or slighting a person's writing is not helpful commentary.
Please be sure to shut off cell phones ringers and pagers during class and conference to prevent unnecessary disruptions. Please refrain from texting during class, so that your focus can be on our classroom community for the duration of the class meeting.
Resources Beyond the Writing Classroom. The Mansfield Library and the Writing Center are excellent sites for researchers and writers to get additional support. You will be asked to participate in at least one session on library research and take a draft of a paper to the Writing Center for feedback from one of their tutors as a way to expand your circle of writing support. See UMM17-21 in the The Everyday Writer (4th edition) for more information about the Writing Center and Information Literacy.
Grading
Final Grade
I encourage you to talk with me at any time to better understand my comments or to discuss your overall progress and success in the class. Your final grade will be based on the following percentages:
• Participation: 25%
• Reflective essay: 25%
• Final portfolio: 50%
Inquiry Projects. I will respond to these projects with written comments to guide you in your composing process, but I will also mark them using a check system to help you know where you stand on a specific project – particularly if you are unfamiliar with portfolio assessment. To give you a sense of the check system used in WRIT 101, please refer to the following descriptors.
Check (√+) A project with a check plus meets or exceeds its rhetorical goals in terms of purpose, genre, and writing situation without need for extensive revision. Written comments will elaborate on strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for focused revision or new exploration.
Check (√) A project with a check generally meets its rhetorical goals in terms of purpose, genre, and writing situation, but falls short of the writers best work and still needs revision. Written comments will elaborate on strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for focused revision.
Check minus (√-) A project with a check minus meets the basic requirements, but would benefit from significant revision and a stronger understanding of rhetorical decision-making. Written comments will elaborate on strengths, weaknesses, and strategies for substantial revision.
Unsatisfactory (U) A project with a U does not meet basic standards, and requires extensive development and attention. An unsatisfactory submission may be incomplete or inappropriate to the assignment. Such a submission may receive a request to rewrite in order to receive teacher comments or count as complete.
Evaluation Criteria for Portfolios
The evaluation criteria I will be discussing and applying with you throughout the semester reflects the Outcomes Statement for WRIT 101, a document which identifies the goals you should strive for as a WRIT 101 student. I'll use the following questions to evaluate your final portfolio.
• Does the portfolio include required elements?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate engagement in inquiry as a means of learning? In particular, can the student use strategies like exploration, explanation, evaluation, and reflection as inter-related means of inquiry?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate focus on a purpose appropriate to different writing situations, including different audiences?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate writing in multiple genres with an awareness of how genres shape reading and writing?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate use of specialized language from the discipline of composition to support learning?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate a student’s understanding and engagement in the collaborative and social aspects of learning? Can the student give and receive feedback on written texts?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate a student’s development of a flexible writing process?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate a student’s knowledge and use of research and reading as processes?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate a student’s knowledge and use of a variety of technologies to facilitate research and writing?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate a student’s knowledge and use of conventions for different genres, including documentation and control of features like punctuation, grammar, syntax, and spelling?
• How does the portfolio demonstrate inquiry and knowledge about the “big issue” of sustainability?
