Course Syllabus

English 1010-36: College Composition and Rhetoric (COM1)

Fall 2020

MWF 12:10-1:00 EA225

 

Instructor: Catherine Johnson, cjohn202@uwyo.edu

Office Hours: Hoyt Hall 233, Mondays & Wednesdays 2:30-4:00 pm on Zoom: https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/6382587228

Class Meetings on Zoom:  https://uwyo.zoom.us/j/94912272684

Writing Fellow: Courtney Titus, ctitus1@uwyo.edu

Welcome to English 1010. This course fulfills your COM1 requirement for the university and is designed to prepare you for the types of writing you do while at UW as well as strengthen your writing, reading, and thinking skills for your life and career. 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. In English 1010 you will:

  • Develop their writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills
  • Engage in communicating for different genres, purposes, and audiences
  • Employ effective research and source-attribution strategies within research-based assignments
  • Practice multiple revision techniques
  • Develop awareness of how to engage in civic issues for the purpose of strengthening communities

You own your learning and success in this class. The time and investment you choose to give will determine how much you gain from and enjoy the class.

Spring ENGL2015 Course

This English 1010 is part of a two-semester writing sequence that fulfills the Communication 1 and Communication 2 requirements for general education at UW. Through English 1010, you will fulfill the COM1 component. In the spring, you have a guaranteed seat in English 2015, which will give you the benefit of working with a Bridge instructor and many of your English 1010 peers while fulfilling UW’s COM2 requirement. The English 2015 class will also help you learn more about disciplines at UW and communication styles within a variety of disciplines. 

Meet Our Writing Fellow!

Writing Fellows differ from your Peer Mentor in your First Year Seminar class. Courtney will be working with our class over the course of the semester and will have tutoring hours at the STEP Satellite Center in the basement of Washakie on Mondays from 6-9pm. Her goal is to help you become a stronger writer. You’re encouraged to visit Courtney at any time in the writing process (brainstorming, development, rough draft, revisions, etc.). Though Courtney is working directly with our class, you are welcome to visit any of the Bridge Writing Fellows at STEP Satellite. 

Bridge Program Connections

This English 1010 course is one of the three courses in the Bridge Program, a first-year learning community that will help you fulfill University Studies requirements in small and engaging classes. This course connects in many ways with Hosanna Krienke and Seth Swanner’s STEP 1101 courses. You will see us visiting each other’s courses and talking about shared ideas and assignments during the semester.

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 me! “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 be prepared. Excessive tardiness, early departure, or lack of attendance will result in you being marked absent.

We understand that life happens. If you know you will be absent, speak to me about it, and either turn in work in advance or meet my 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 me, or ask an appropriate campus official to document your situation.

COVID-19 Policies [Updated 8.04.20]

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 and your 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 of 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-student-resources.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

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 is meant to be face-to-face as much as possible.

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

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 me to take this initiative. You must contact me, and I 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.

Planning for Meeting Face-to-Face or Moving Online

We are starting the semester online for the first two weeks, then meeting face to face and following the UW policies and guidelines on social distancing as described in the section above. However, we must also plan for a situation where we are required by the university to move to a fully online class.

In that event, we will continue on with the weekly modules as planned. Instead of meeting in person, 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 me 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. 

Information Technology (IT)

If you have any IT related challenges, please contact the UWIT Service Center:   https://uwyo.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/1940/Portal/Requests/ServiceDet?ID=8890

Required Assignment Deadlines 

Word counts do not include supporting items such as cover letters or references. Unless otherwise noted, the time deadline is 12:00 pm (before class) on the date indicated. All deadlines are in the Mountain Time Zone.

Assignment   Minimum Length Deadline
Expos Essay/Mid-Term Portfolio 1000+ wds  Friday, October 2
Researched Argument  1750+ wds     Friday, November 13
Opposite Editorial  1000+ wds   Friday, December 4
Final Portfolio 2750+ wds Friday, December 11

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)

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

 

5/Sep 21

Crafting Expos Conventions

Full draft Expos for peer review due 9/28

6/Sep 28

Mid-Term Portfolio due 10/2

7/Oct 5

Choosing Researched Argument Topics

 

8/Oct 12

Locating & Tracking RA Sources

 

9/Oct 19

 Generating an Annotated Bibliography A.Bib due 10/23
10/Oct 26 Outlining, Drafting, Synthesis 

Abstract due 10/30

11/Nov 2

Drafting the RA

 

12/Nov 9

Revising & Submitting RA

Full draft RA for peer review 11/9
Researched Argument due 11/13

13/Nov 16

Planning & Drafting the Op-Ed

 

14/Nov 23

Revising, Reviewing, & Submitting the Op-Ed

Full draft Op-Ed for peer review 11/23
Op-Ed due 11/30

15/Nov 30

 Revising the Final Portfolio

16/Dec 7 (Finals Week)

Wrapping Up & Submitting Final Portfolio

Final Portfolios due 12/11

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)