The St. Martin's Guide to Writing, Axelrod and Cooper, Short 8th edition (note: please bring to every class)

This course will offer opportunities to explore your own reading and writing processes, to give and take valid criticism and to participate in peer review groups as a means of developing your writing and critiquing skills. Our day will typically involve a discussion of the reading, punctuated my mini-lectures on elements of the writing process, and some writing.  As the course title suggests, the writing we do will be "expository," which means "to explain," "to expose," and "to expound." The reasoning behind the course is simple: the ability to write effectively and without anxiety is a skill of great importance, one you should master. No matter what your career path, eventually you will have to write. Your ability to write is also important to your future academic success and your individual growth. By the end of this course, you should have a greater understanding of yourself as a writer and an understanding of the many forms of expression your writing can take.

Objectives — The main goal is for you to become a better writer—richer and more precise—and to become a better reader—more responsive and insightful.

COURSE POLICIES

Presence, Preparation, and Participation.  College is supposed to be voluntary. You are here because you want to be.  But you cannot gain skills and knowledge unless you put forth effort. We could talk about writing endlessly, but, as in most endeavors, you won't learn it until you work at it and practice--again and again. English courses are not lecture courses; they are reading and writing courses that require your consistent and active engagement. As such, they often have a de facto attendance policy. You can't earn high marks in this process if you aren't present, prepared, and participating. We and your classmates expect you to attend regularly and prepare thoughtfully for each class session. Complete the assignments prior to our meeting and come to class ready to work, share, and listen.

If you miss 4 days of class (whatever the excuse), your grade will be affected and you should consider withdrawing from the course. If you miss six days, you will have missed so much in terms of daily work and instruction that you will unconditionally fail the course.  If you must be absent because of a bona-fide excuse, please notify your instructor by phone or email. 

Note that you will have several days off while others are undergoing peer review and on days when conferences are scheduled. Also, please be on time. Lateness is rude, and lateness (without a good excuse) will count as 1/2 an absence and against your participation.

Electronics -- Technology can enhance learning, but it can also impede it, distracting us from focusing on the issues at hand. As a courtesy, please turn off your cell phones and other gadgetry (in fact, please check them before you enter the room and leave them off your desk). One skill you should be learning is listening, to your instructor and to your peers, taking in their ideas, and cell phones distract from this learning. Also, laptops are fine for taking notes on lecture material, but please close the screen during class discussion so we can have your full attention.

Peer Review — Throughout the semester, class meetings will be devoted to reviewing and critiquing rough drafts of assignments. Writers seldom work completely in isolation all the time; therefore, it is important, at different stages of the writing and revising process, to share information, discuss strategies, and receive feedback. Throughout the semester, you will work closely with your classmates reading and responding to each other's work. Everyone will benefit if we are all prepared to engage in this type of work. A paper that does not receive an in-class peer review will be penalized when submitted as a final draft (papers that are only half written or that don't exhibit a solid first try don't benefit from the intensive scrutiny and revision suggestions of peer review.  These, too, will be frowned on and can affect the final grade, since we also emphasize the process of writing as well as the finished product).  

On the day before peer review, you are required to bring enough copies of your paper for your group and one for your instructor (so we may read your paper ahead of time). Please don't be absent on this day. If you are, you are responsible for getting your paper to your group members and to me.  Send copies in with a friend or email them to us. Your participation in these groups is vital to your growth as a writer and the success of the course, so read your peers’ drafts thoroughly and provide the kinds of feedback you yourself would like to receive. The draft you produce for these groups should be written as if it were a final version. For the last paper, you will be flying solo. If you get me the paper before the final day it is due, I promise to return it to you within two days so you can make necessary revisions. Or, I have two days of conferences scheduled for that period. Ideally, I read your paper before the conference.  Two rules to keep in mind for peer review (and class):  

For peer review, you'll fill out a sheet like this for each paper:

Writer's Memo — When writers send their writing to a publisher, they always send a cover letter introducing it. For FINAL VERSIONS of papers you turn in, you should submit a separate writer's memo that considers your purpose for writing, your process (what you went through, including the comments from peer review), the audience it is written for, what difficulties you had and what you learned from them, what the strengths of the paper are, and what led you to write about it. In a nutshell, comment on the choices you made as a writer (think of it like an instant replay on your writing process with color commentary).  When you hand in final versions, you will also be asked to include your rough draft, your invention writing, any sentence-level revision exercises, your skills checklist, and your peer review sheets.  The Writer's Memo should also address these stages in the writing process, detailing what you have done to improve the writing.  A good Writer's Memo assesses what you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the piece, and a thoughtful, well-written memo, because it accounts for things we might have missed, can improve your grade. 

Document Appearance -- Please wordprocess and save all papers and drafts. Use a descriptive title for your paper; it should identify the author and/or work and your slant or thesis. Also, provide a heading at the top left of you paper (your name, class, instructor name, and date) and page numbers (with your last name) in the upper right. Double space, use 1.25" margins all around (room for comments) and a readable font (11 pt Times Roman is good).  

Late Work — Late papers will be penalized one full grade per day late. Class log entries will not be accepted late and they will only be accepted if you are present.  

Conferences and Office Hours — Check with your instructor about office hours. Please take advantage of these times. Those who converse with the instructor tend to come to a more complete understanding of the course material than those who do not.  If you are confused about anything in the class, please come talk to us. We will also respond promptly to email and phone messages. At least once during the first half of the semester we should meet to discuss your progress. During this conference, we’ll look at what you’ve written and completed, how you’ve grown, and what you still need to work on. We expect that you’ll assess yourself and set goals for the next part of the semester. Please feel free to schedule additional conferences with any time.

Revision — The magic word for the class is "revision." You will have the opportunity to revise things you write, but we caution you against mechanically following our suggestions without using some of your own. Just because you do what we or your peers tell you doesn’t mean that you will get an "A." In your follow-up writer’s memo, you will focus on what you did in revision.

Academic Dishonesty — Radford University supports an Honor Code to which each of you is obliged to adhere. "By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Please refer to your Student Handbook for details."

Students with Disabilities — If you are seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), you are required to register with the Disability Resource Office (DRO).  The DRO is located in the Center for Counseling and Student Development on the lower level of Tyler Hall, and can be reached at 831-6350. To receive academic accommodations, please obtain the DRO forms and then meet with your instructor.

Extra Credit — Anyone who misses only one class (or none) will receive 2.5 points added to their final grade (an 88% = 90.5%). You can receive 2.5 pts. extra credit (90=92.5) on any paper that you submit for publication: the school paper, literary magazine, writing contests, etc. Professional writers write for readers (not just their teachers), and we want you to write as you would (and will) outside the classroom.  

WORK LOAD

We’re striving for quality rather than quantity—surgical precision rather than mountains of text. In addition to shorter assignments (your class log), you will write only four papers. We will try to specify a length in the assignments, but suffice it say that the paper needs to be long enough to make its point and make it well.

Paper #1 — Reflective Narrative. We will look at a variety of remembered event papers to see how writers narrate, tell (and show), cajole, and wheedle--and the whys and wherefores of doing so. This is a good one to begin with: easy, merciful, and offers a way to begin the class with you feeling like you’re the writer and not someone else. This paper will probably rely heavily on description. You will use your powers of observation and recollection to make us "see" your subject and ultimately your point. Remember, the reflective narrative is also guided by an awareness of audience. Think twice before writing about your learning to drive, the prom, the day you won the game, graduation, or beach week.  Experiences such as these often match your audience’s expectations for them, and provide no new insights or discoveries.  Look beyond the momentous occasion to the almost mundane. 

Paper #2 — Synthesis. Syntheses share many features with personal writing: they use recollection, observation, narration, anecdote, description, and dialogue. But, syntheses differ significantly from autobiographical writing. Whereas the personal narrative reflected on a remembered personal experience, the synthesis presents and synthesizes newly acquired information, and keeps a safe critical distance from its subject. You observe data (take field notes like a naturalist or anthropologist) and analyze and organize it so that it is both informative and interesting to readers. You might attend an unusual event, and write up your observations of the people, place and the activity; or, you might interview a person who has an unusual hobby or job and write a profile based on your notes.

Paper #3 — Evaluation. The trick here is to construct an argument of evaluation. You could evaluate a concert (symphony?), a play, an art exhibit or examine several things that fall in the same classification or cluster. "Reality TV shows signify the end of the civilized world as we know it." How can you make such a statement? "The Dukes of Hazard was the worst movie ever." Based on what criteria? Every day it seems we make evaluations and judgments, sometimes spontaneously, in response to events, people and things. "Oh, I don’t know, I just like it." Rarely do we think out a reasoned, careful argument based on appropriate criteria, although we constantly give reasons for our evaluations in a casual way. Once you study your subject, you begin to cultivate judgment, making it more sound, more discriminating, less reckless, and not merely "judgmental" or opinionated.

Paper #4 — Persuasion/proposal. "Argument" sometimes refers to writing that is reason-based, whereas "persuasion" can be more emotion-based. Also, people sometimes think an "argument" is something you win. This paper still needs a thesis and reasonable substantiation, but I want you to focus on persuading us of something instead of the research material (that’s next semester), on cajoling rather than reproaching (the tone should be lighter). Use your whole rhetorical arsenal. Many topics (drugs, abortion, death penalty, gun control) are banned. Convince your audience of something else: why the sky isn’t really blue (it’s often gray). This will come after we read essays that try to pull everything together, and I would encourage you to do the same. A good way to start this paper is to go back to what you did in #1 and begin with an anecdote (narrative) to frame your subsequent argument. Perhaps you will want to write a proposal about some change on campus.

Class log — These will frequently be directed assignments  on a topic or a particular reading where you will be asked to respond to an essay’s effectiveness or to pre-write for an upcoming essay.  Logs are still due on the due-date even if you are not in class.

GRADING  (Note: Grading is not a mathematical science; we consider effort, and sincere, constructive class participation may raise your grade. We also reserve the right to schedule additional quizzes, tests, or papers.)