Course Syllabus

English 1010-19: College Composition and Rhetoric (COM1) for Fall 2020
Tuesday, Thursday 08:00 AM - 09:15 AM

(make sure that you come on your assigned day)

Irene Enlow
Email: ienlow@uwyo.edu
Office Hours: Monday 8-10 AM, Wednesday 9-10 AM, or by appointment

Office Hours Location: Zoom (or WyoChat)

Zoom link for virtual class meetings and office hours (email me immediately if you have trouble accessing the meeting): https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/97983870972   Meeting ID: 979 8387 0972

If we meet in person later in the semester we will meet at Classroom Building Room 214

3 credit hours, No pre-requisites

Welcome to English 1010 and to our semester together. This course fulfills your COM1 requirement for the university—on pages 4-5 of our textbook are the seven learning outcomes we’ll work to achieve. In addition to helping you become a more competent and confident writer, I hope this course inspires you to be more enthusiastic about what it means to be a student on this campus and a citizen in our local, national, and international communities. I likewise hope that you find the assignments in the class useful to your personal growth, and that you find our work together productive and perhaps even fun.

Required Text and Materials

  • Hutson, Shelby and Nancy Small, eds. Writing @ 7200 Feet: A Beginner’s Guide to Composition and Rhetoric. 2nd ed., Hayden McNeil, 2018.
  • Daily access to your University of Wyoming email and WyoCourse accounts 
  • Daily access to a working computer
    • Access to a printer is strongly recommended
    • If we are required to move online, then your computer must include a camera and microphone that can be used to communicate via video conferencing and you'll need access to an internet connection that can be used to communicate via video conferencing
  • Materials that allow you to abide by all of the University of Wyoming's COVID-related policies and rules to promote the health and well-being of fellow students and your own personal self-care

If you can’t find something, ask your instructor. “I couldn’t find it” is not an excuse for missing an assignment.

 Attendance Policy

This class is designed to be interactive and to coach you through the iterative process of developing your writing. It matters that you come to every meeting on time and as well prepared as you can be. Excessive tardiness, early departure, or lack of attendance will result in you being marked absent and losing credit for the live workshops (10 participation points per meeting).

We understand that life happens. If you know you will be absent, speak to your instructor about it, and either turn in work in advance or meet the instructor's requirement for an alternative assignment.  If you are participating in a university-led event (for example, as part of a sports team), make sure your coach has sent an official note excusing your absence. If you experience a crisis that prevents you from completing your work, speak to your instructor or ask an appropriate campus official to document your situation.

COVID-19 Policies

During this pandemic, you must abide by all UW policies and public health rules put forward by the City of Laramie, the University of Wyoming and the State of Wyoming to promote the health and well-being of fellow students andyour own personal self-care. The current policy is provided for review at:  (https://www.uwyo.edu/alerts/campus-return/index.html) 

As with other disruptive behaviors, we have the right to dismiss you from the classroom (Zoom and physical), or other class activities if you fail to abide by these COVID-19 policies. These behaviors will be referred to the Dean of Students Office using the UWYO Cares Reporting Form for Student Code of Conduct processes
(https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?UnivofWyoming&layout_id=5) 

Expectations for Communication and Commitments
As with all UW coursework, this course will be educational and useful to you. I will respond to questions, concerns, and feedback in a timely manner.

Your responsibilities:

  • Give and receive feedback from me and your classmates respectfully and constructively in all interactions. This includes in Zoom chats, on WyoCourses boards, and within physical classroom spaces.
  • Actively engage in civil discourse in a respectful manner. Use professional language in all course-related forums.
  • Communicate professionally. Whenever you send class-related email or messages, please include a clear, specific subject line and use the body of the email or message to explain the purpose for the email and any attached materials. Conduct yourself professionally.
  • Meet assignment deadlines. We expect that you're interacting with course material multiple times during the week.
  • Ask for help when you need it. For academic assistance for this course please contact me for available
    resources. For Dean of Students assistance please see: (https://www.uwyo.edu/dos/student-resources/covid-19-studentresources.html) 
    Please let us know if you notice another student who needs help in our (anonymous) WyoCares referral option(https://www.uwyo.edu/dos/students-concern/index.html)

Structure and Policies for Face-to-Face/Live Meetings

This class will begin online. We will meet weekly over Zoom.

However, the University of Wyoming has prioritized live, face-to-face meetings for first year students, and English 1010 is a primary class first-year students take. Therefore, our class may include live meetings each week later on.

In order to conduct these meetings safely and according to UW COVID-19 guidelines, we will meet in smaller groups. Each student will attend one meeting per week and conduct the rest of their classroom activities online. Prior to the start of the semester, you received an email in which your meeting day was assigned. You are responsible for attending on this day online or in person. You may not attend on the other days because we likely do not have the space in our classroom to accommodate any additional students. 

If you know you will miss one of these meetings, then you must email your instructor immediately, either through your uwyo.edu address or through your WyoCourse Inbox. Your instructor will verify that you have a legitimate reason to miss your live meeting, and then will provide you with instructions for making up that meeting and its assigned points.

In most circumstances, you must make up the work on the same day that you missed the meeting. For example, if you miss a Wednesday meeting, then you must contact your instructor on that day and make up the work by 11:59 pm that night. Unless you are sick or have an unusual circumstance that will prevent you from attending your meeting, then it will be easier just to go to the live gathering as assigned rather than scramble to make up the work. 

Arrangements for making up missed meetings or other assignments in this class are the responsibility of the student. In other words, do not rely on your instructor to take this initiative. You must contact your instructor, and they will work with you from that point.

You may not have a parent or other proxy contact the instructor unless you have previously arranged for this accommodation through UW's office of disability services or through UW's Office of Academic Affairs.

Zoom Attendance Requirements [Added Monday, Sept 14, 2020] 

This policy is being added during week four of the semester, as we have been continuing Zoom-based weekly meetings. The policy is in effect immediately but is not retroactive—in other words, any effect on your meeting attendance grades begins now but will not affect previous meetings. 

English 1010 meetings are intended to build community, to promote conversation about the skills and projects central to the course, and to help students along the way as they build the major assignments (a process called “scaffolding”). Just as with in-person meetings, Zoom-based meetings rely on basic elements of being “present” and of respect. The instructor demonstrates respect for students through preparing for class and working to engage students. Students must return that respect for the instructor by showing up, being present, and actively participating. 

For our Zoom meetings, here are the requirements for students to demonstrate those commitments: 

Keep your camera turned on. This is mandatory. 

If you have a personal situation that prevents you from using your camera, then you should email your instructor privately, explain the situation, and request an exception. 

Be dressed and situated appropriately for your class’s group interaction. For example, don’t be laying in your bed, which is a personal space. Turn off other technologies, such as the television, social media, etc., and concentrate on the meeting. 

Participate in class.  

Your instructor will clarify the options for participating in your particular section, including but not limited to full-group discussion, breakout room discussion, chat, and more. If your instructor allows students to “pass” on a question, then limit your “pass” response to one time. If you have not prepared for the meeting, then you should still do your best to answer the question (and make a better effort to prepare next time). 

Be on time or even a few minutes early for the start of the Zoom meeting, and stay until the meeting is completed. 

Students who are not committing to the class through these simple steps will not receive full credit for attending the meeting Students should also be aware that the skills and full credit for attending the meeting. Students should also be aware that the skills and processes developed during these meetings are crucial for their major assignments (Expos, Researched Argument, Op-Ed). In other words, your performance on these assignments will likely suffer if you are not engaged in the class meetings. 

This policy has been provided by the Department of English and the Director of Writing Programs (Dr. Nancy Small, nancy.small@uwyo.edu (mailto:nancy.small@uwyo.edu) ).

Planning for Meeting Face-to-Face or Moving Online

Although we may have live classes this semester, we must plan for a situation where we are required by the university to move to a fully online class after meeting in person. 

In that event, we will continue on with the weekly modules as planned. Instead of meeting in person for our weekly required writing workshops, we'll instead hold live meeting via zoom. This adjustment should be relatively seamless, but knowing it may happen, please check to make sure Zoom works on your computer during the first week of the semester:

  1. Go to https://uwyo.zoom.us/
  2. Click "Sign in" and use your uwyo.edu login credentials 
  3. Under your "Profile" (upper right), find your "Personal Meeting ID"
    You may need to click "Show" next to it so you can copy the link.
  4. Copy the link and paste it into a new browser window
    This step should allow you to see if your computer camera and video will work on zoom.

If you have any potential technical limitations, notify your instructor immediately. If we do move online, specific instructions will be posted in the Announcements. "I don't know how to access Zoom" or "I didn't know we were meeting online" will not be sufficient to excuse a weekly workshop absence. 

 Required Assignment Deadlines 

Word counts do not include supporting items such as cover letters or references. Unless otherwise noted, the time deadline is 11:59 pm on the date indicated. All deadlines are in the Mountain Time Zone.

Assignment   Minimum Length Deadline
Expos Essay/Mid-Term Portfolio 1000+ wds  Friday, September 25
Researched Argument  1750+ wds     Friday, October 30
Opposite Editorial  1000+ wds   Friday, November 13
Presentation & Peer Responses See instructions Presentation due Monday, November 23
Peer Responses due by Monday, November 30
Final Portfolio 2750+ wds Friday, December 4

Extra Credit and Late Work

This course does not offer extra credit.

Late assignments are not accepted without a university-approved absence or instructor extension. Your instructor may grant a small extension as long as you contact them prior to the deadline, communicate about the situation leading to needing the small extension, and get the instructor’s approval as well as a new deadline.

Final portfolios must be turned in on time. Check your final portfolio uploads carefully—if you upload the wrong files, you will not be able to change them once the final deadline passes.  

Required Major Assignments

These assignments are the processes by which we’ll work on achieving the seven COM1 learning outcomes for this course (see pp. 4-5 in your required textbook, Writing @7200 Feet). Also growing out of the course outcomes, the “Grade Guidelines” on pp. 21-28 of the textbook describe how assignments will be evaluated.

Expos Essay/Mid-Term Portfolio (COM1 Outcomes 1-7): The Expos Essay asks you to summarize a scholarly  article, identifying main arguments and key information for a public audience. We call these pieces “Expos” (pronounced /ek' spōz/) because they are written in the tradition of expository writing, which provides readers with research findings in order to inform and educate. Expository writing is found in many academic contexts, including our student journal, Inside English 1010, and popular news publications that run feature stories on cutting edge scholarship for general academic audiences. (~1,000 words + sidebars)

Researched Argument (COM1 Outcomes 1-6): The Researched Argument begins with your own curiosities about an issue or a problem, proceeds through a research process, and results in you working to persuade your readers to consider your position on the issue or problem. Your instructor will help you identify appropriate issues and develop an academic research question, but in the end the focus will be up to you. What is important is that you invest in the issue you research, and that you allow your writing to be a genuine process of inquiry and learning. (1,750-2,000 words + Works Cited; also requires Abstract and Annotated Bibliography)

Opposite Editorial (COM1 Outcomes 1-7): The Opposite Editorial (Op-Ed) is a civic genre that has different expectations than academic writing. Engaged citizens write Op-Eds for the general public in order to share their viewpoints with the community. In general, Op-Eds educate readers about an issue beyond how the media may already be covering it, and to persuade readers to consider the author’s point of view. (~1,000 words + sidebars)

Panel Presentation (Outcomes 3, 5, 7): As you are revising the other major projects for your final portfolio, you will prepare a video presentation about your final researched argument. In the presentation, you will state your main thesis and offer a summary of your supporting points. Your video will be posted to a group discussion, where some of your peers have also posted their presentations. You'll watch your peers' videos and offer comments or feedback that can be useful as they finalize their RA revisions. 

Final Portfolio: At the end of the term, you’ll submit revised, polished versions of your Researched Argument and either your Expos Essay or Op-Ed in a final portfolio, along with a Cover Letter narrating your revision choices and growth as a writer over the term. Revisions are mandatory and should take into account feedback given by your instructor to your previous drafts. (2,750< base text words plus info like sidebars, Works Cited)

Please note that all three major assignments--the Expos, the Researched Argument, and the Op-Ed--are required and must be turned in as drafts for instructor feedback in order to be included in the final portfolio. In other words, you must submit all major assignments in order to pass the course. A student who skips a major assignment--such as the op-ed, for example--will receive an F in the class regardless of final average.

 Grading Scale

This course does not offer extra credit. The course also has a strict attendance policy (see above).

Product Elements     Weight
Mid-Term Portfolio Expos + Cover Letter  10%
Final Portfolio Revised RA + either Revised Expos or Revised Op-ed + Cover Letter 70%
Participation  Various homework, drafts, class activities, peer reviews, etc.  20%

Final portfolios showing no effort at revision may be substantially penalized. Final grades are based on percent of points earned: >90% = A, 80-89% = B, 79-70% = C, 69-60% = D, <60% = F.

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) has a clear and specific policy regarding grade appeals, found here: www.uwyo.edu/as/student-appeals/index.html. Please review these carefully.

 Additional Policies

Please turn to our textbook, Writing @7200 Feet, second edition for additional classroom policies on pp. 11-16. While you’re there, please also read the Frequently Asked Questions about our portfolios and the grading process, on pp. 17-20.

The following policies are now included in our WyoCourse Spaces:

  • Under Classroom Climate & Conduct, find policies on
    • Classroom Behavior
    • Statement on Diversity
    • Academic Dishonesty
    • Duty to Report
  • Under Learning Tools, find policies on
    • Substantive Changes to the Syllabus
    • Disability Support
    • Student Resources

While you will be shown the location of these policies during the first week of classes, it is your responsibility to read and understand them. If you have questions about the policies, please email the Director of First Year Writing, Dr. Nancy Small (nancy.small@uwyo.edu).

Schedule Overview

The instructor may make changes to the syllabus as the course proceeds.  If necessary, these changes will be announced in class.  Substantive changes made to the syllabus shall be communicated in writing to the students.

Week # 

Topics and Tasks

Notes & Major Deadlines

1/Aug 24

Getting Oriented & Started in English 1010

[See modules for weekly activities]

2/Aug 31

Introducing the Expos & Annotation Strategies

 

3/Sep 7

Developing Expos Assignment Content

 

4/Sep 14

Crafting Expos Structure & Conventions

Full draft Expos for peer review due 9/18

5/Sep 21

Mid-Term Portfolio due 9/25

6/Sep 28

 Choosing Researched Argument Topics

 

7/Oct 5

Locating & Tracking RA Sources

 

8/Oct 12

Generating an Abstract & Annotated Bib

A.Bib/Abstract due 10/14

9/Oct 19

Outlining & Synthesizing an Argument

 

10/Oct 26

Revising & Submitting RA

Full draft RA for peer review 10/26
Researched Argument due 10/30

11/Nov 2

Planning & Drafting the Op-Ed

 

12/Nov 9

Revising, Reviewing, & Submitting the Op-Ed

Full draft Op-Ed for peer review 11/9
Op-Ed due 11/13

13/Nov 16

 Planning for Revision & Presentation Panels

 

14/Nov 23

Presenting, Responding, Continued Revising 

Presentations posted by 11/23

15/Nov 30

Wrapping Up & Submitting Final Portfolio

Presentation responses due by 11/30
Final Portfolios due 12/4

No final exam.
Submitting the final portfolio marks the end of our course.

Don’t forget to submit your work to Inside English 1010
(email to uwyo.english1010@gmail.com)