20 th Century Composition Theory & Practice

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Holmes

English 3100 / Section 005 / Mon. & Wed. 12:00 1:15 p.m. / CLSO 505 Dr. Ashley J. Holmes / GCB 915 / aholmes@gsu.edu / 404-413-5831 http://eng3100sp14.wordpress.com/ (schedule and announcements) http://d2l.gsu.edu (additional readings, grades) Mon. & Wed. 1:30 2:30 & by appointment I am available in my office (GCB 915), by phone, or email during office hours. Otherwise, you can reach me via email. English 1102 or English 1103 with grade of C or higher.

Office Hours: Availability: Non-Major Prerequisite:

The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary. Course Description & Objectives This course examines theories of composition and explores writings impact on our personal, public, and professional lives. We will explore foundational concepts theorized by major leaders in the field of composition and rhetoric; through close-readings of key texts, students will gain an understanding of what writing specialists have debated and discovered about how people learn to write and best practices for teaching writing. We will trace histories of writing instruction and examine current social, political, and ideological issues associated with writing in public schools and institutions of higher education. Through a series of informal and formal projects, English 3100 invites studentsstudents interested in teaching writing, learning about issues of literacy, and gaining practical tools for improving their own writing and readingto further their conceptions of composition. Students will have a better understanding of the following upon completion of the course: Theories and key concepts of composition and composition pedagogy. Historical progression of writing studies. Possibilities for applying composition theories to pedagogical and professional contexts. The needs and challenges of writing instruction in public school systems. A critically reflective awareness of the politics of writing and the ways public writing impacts local communities. Course assignments will give students opportunities to Respond to and synthesize current conversations and research in composition studies. Produce researched projects that contribute to composition studies. Enhance rhetorical awareness of and practice writing in multiple genres. Practice peer review, writing process and revision techniques, and community-based and library research. Collaborate with peers and lead class discussion. Required Texts, Materials, and Access You will need the following to complete various assignments for this course: consistent access to a computer with an Internet connection and printer, a GSU email account that you check often, Spring 2014 / Page 1 !

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access to GSUs Desire 2 Learn (D2L) for additional readings and assignment uploads, Adobe reader, which you can download for free here: http://get.adobe.com/reader/, and additional funds for printing costs (projects, presentations, and/or readings).

There are two required textbooks for the course. In addition to these books, there will be required readings not published in these books available electronically through our course D2L site. Villanueva, Victor, and Kristin Arola, eds. CrossTalk in Comp Theory: A Reader. 3rd ed. Urbana, Illinois: NCTE, 2011. Print. National Writing Project, and Carl Nagin. Because Writing Matters: Improving Student Writing in Our Schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2006. Print.

Note: It is my expectation that you will have a copy of this textbook by the second week of class. Please let me know if you have trouble obtaining a copy by that time. Course Assignments You will receive detailed assignment sheets with explanations and due dates for each of the following assignments. Multi-Genre Composition Responses 25% Five times throughout the semester, you will be asked to submit a short piece of writing, formatted in a different genre each time, that responds to an issue from the assigned readings. Each response will be worth 5% of your overall course grade. Midterm Exam 20% Around mid-term you will take a closed-book exam on the concepts and theories weve discussed in the course up to that point. Group Presentation, Annotated Bibliography, & Reflection 30% You will work collaboratively to prepare a presentation and a series of questions to lead discussion of the assigned reading(s) for one class session. As part of your preparation for this presentation, you will individually conduct additional research on your topic and submit an annotated bibliography of your findings. The presentation and reflection will be worth 10% and the annotated bibliography worth 20% of your overall course grade. Final Project: Public Writing, Local Action 25% The final third of the semester will be devoted to your work on the final project. You will read a series of essays about composition, place, and social action, and you will design a project in which you conduct research and compose writing for a public audience that takes some form of action on a local issue.

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! Course Policies

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Grading Policy & Plus/Minus Grading Scale You will receive a plus/minus grade on each of your assignments, except for the midterm, which will be a numerical grade that aligns with the grading scale below. I will do my best to keep your grades updated on D2L; however, it is ultimately your responsibility to keep up with your grades, averages, absence penalties, etc. Feel free to inquire at any time. A+ C+ F 97100%, A 9396%, A- 9092%, B+ 8789%, B 7779%, C 7376%, C- 7072%, D+ 6769%, D 59% and below 8386%, B- 8082% 6366%, D- 6062%

Attendance Policy & Expectations for Participation Daily attendance and participation are essential to your success in this course, and I expect you to attend all class sessions, arrive prepared, and be on time. I will take attendance daily at the start of class. However, in the event that you cannot make it to class, please be sure you understand the course attendance policy as follows. You will be allowed THREE absences, excused or unexcused, for the entire semester. These absences can be used in the case of sickness, family events, school related functions, work-related issues, or unexpected circumstances. Your final grade will be lowered by one third of a letter grade for each day missed over three. In other words, if you earn an A- in the course but have four absences, your final grade would be a B+. For five absences, you would earn a B instead of an A-, etc. If you know you will be absent, please let me know in advance. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me about the possibility of making up in-class assignments, and you are responsible for learning any material covered in the class you missed. You will not necessarily be able to make-up all missed assignments; for example, reading quizzes cannot be made up. If you are late enough to miss more than half of a class session, you will be counted absent. If you are consistently late to class, this will have a negative impact on your participation grade for the course. The midpoint for the semester is March 4th. Students wishing to withdraw should do so before this date in order to receive a grade of W for the course. Late Work and Extensions Major course projects are due at the specified time on the date stated on each assignment sheet. After that, the grade drops one third of a letter grade per calendar day, which includes days that we do not meet for class. Please check the online calendar on our course website for the most up-to-date calendar of due dates and assignments.

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! If you foresee not being able to submit an assignment on time, please talk to me in advance to inquire about an extension. If you submit late, without an approved extension, your grade will be deducted one third of a letter grade per calendar day, which includes days that we do not meet for class. In other words a B would fall to a B- if late one calendar day. I would much rather you submit an assignment late than not at all, so please contact me if you are having a difficult time submitting an assignment; we can typically work out an arrangement so that you do not receive a zero for the assignment. Submission Policies Assignments are due at the start of class, unless otherwise noted, and will be considered late if submitted after the start of class. You may be asked to submit your work in print or electronic forms (through D2L or email). Please follow all stated instructions for how, when, and where to submit your assignments for this course. Make-Up Examination Policy Students are required to attend the university-scheduled exam period for this course. Our scheduled exam is Monday, May 5th from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. I will allow make-up examinations only for students who have more than two university-scheduled exams within a 24-hour period. If this applies to you, you need to let me know as soon as possible, and no later than one week prior to the final examination date, so that we can make the necessary arrangements. Academic Honesty As members of the academic community, students are expected to recognize and uphold standards of intellectual and academic integrity. The university assumes as a basic and minimum standard of conduct in academic matters that students be honest and that they submit for credit only the products of their own efforts. According to GSUs handbook, dishonorable conduct includes plagiarism, cheating, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, and multiple submissions of your academic work. For specific examples and definitions of each of these forms of conduct, please see the Policy on Academic Honesty, section 409 in the Faculty Handbook: http://www2.gsu.edu/~wwwfhb/fhb.html. In our course, you should be particularly mindful of issues related to plagiarism. GSU defines plagiarism as follows: Plagiarism is presenting another person's work as one's own. Plagiarism includes any paraphrasing or summarizing of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including the submitting of another student's work as one's own. GSU also specifies this policy in relation to computer-based resources, explaining that Any work, in whole or in part, taken from the Internet or other computer-based resource without properly referencing the source (for example, the URL) is considered plagiarism. A complete reference is required in order that all parties may locate and view the original source. Anything in your work that is not created by you must be cited and must follow copyright and fair use policies. This includes any text, images, music, logos, templates, videos, etc. that were not created by you. If you have questions about how to properly cite these materials, please let me know and I will be happy to help.

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! Course Assessment Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State. Upon completing the course, please take time to fill out the online course evaluation. Accommodations I am happy to accommodate any student who has a documented disability registered with GSUs Office of Disability Services. If this applies to you, please plan to make an appointment with me during the first weeks of the semester so we can make a plan for the best way to accommodate your needs. Students who wish to request accommodation for a disability may do so by registering with the Office of Disability Services. Students may only be accommodated upon issuance by the Office of Disability Services of a signed Accommodation Plan and are responsible for providing a copy of that plan to instructors of all classes in which accommodations are sought. English Major Senior Portfolios The English department at GSU requires an exit portfolio of all students graduating with a degree in English. Ideally, students should work on this every semester, selecting 1-2 papers from each course and revising them, with direction from faculty members. The portfolio includes revised work and a reflective essay about what youve learned. Each concentration (literature, creative writing, rhetoric/composition, and secondary education) within the major may have specific items to place in the portfolio, so be sure to check booklet located next to door of the front office of the English Department. Senior Portfolio due dates are published in the booklets or you may contact an advisor or Dr. Dobranski, Director of Undergraduate Studies. See the English office for additional information. In our course this semester, some of the assignments that might work well for your senior portfolio include a collection of the 5 multi-genre response assignments, the annotated bibliography affiliated with your group project, and/or the final project. Campus Resources The Writing Studio GCB 976, Phone # 404-413-5840, http://www.writingstudio.gsu.edu/ We focus on the rhetorical aspects of texts, and provide one-on-one, student-centered teaching that corresponds to each writers composing process, especially invention and revising. We do not provide editing or proofreading services. We aim to create better writers, not perfect papers, so we address works-in-progress in tutorials, and not finished texts. Computer Labs on GSUs Campus http://www.gsu.edu/ist/classrooms-and-labs/computer-labs.html GSU Help Center: http://www.gsu.edu/help/ The IS&T Help Center provides Georgia State University faculty and staff with support for software, hardware, telecommunications and network issues. If we cannot resolve your issue, we will assign it to the appropriate IS&T department.

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20 th Century Composition Theory & Practice

! Course Schedule

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This course schedule is subject to changes. Please check the schedule on the course website for the most up-to-date version of the schedule of readings, assignments, and due dates. Date M Jan. 13 Class Topics & Activities First day introductions Watch Who Is a Writer? video Write and share video responses Writing in schools Introduce Multi-Genre Response Assignment No class. MLK Jr. holiday. Theories of Writing Process Reading & Assignments Due at the Start of Class

W Jan. 15

Because Writing Matters, Introduction and Chapter 1 (pp. 1-18) (available on D2L for students who have not yet purchased the textbook)

M Jan. 20 W Jan. 22

Murray, Teach Writing as a Process Not Product (Cross-Talk, pp. 3-6) Ede, Understanding the Writing Process (D2L) Multi-Genre Response # 1 Due (printed copy at the start of class)

M Jan. 27

Theories of Writing Process

Perl, The Composing Processes of Unskilled College Writers (Cross-Talk, pp. 17-42) Sommers, Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers (Cross-Talk, pp. 43-54) Lamott, Shitty First Drafts (D2L, pp. 21-27)

W Jan. 29

Theories of Revision

M Feb. 3

Learning to Write Introduce Group Presentation & Annotated Bibliography Assignment

Because Writing Matters, Introduction and Chapter 2 (pp. 19-42) Multi-Genre Response # 2 Due (printed copy at the start of class) Emig, Writing as a Mode of Learning (Cross-Talk, pp. 7-16) Because Writing Matters, Introduction and Chapter 3 (pp. 43-55)

W Feb. 5

Writing to Learn Writing an Annotation

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! M Feb. 10 Theories of Expressivism

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Elbow, A Method for Teaching Writing (D2L, pp. 115-125) Macrorie, The Poison Fish (D2L, pp. 297313) Multi-Genre Response # 3 Due (Annotation) (printed copy at the start of class)

W Feb. 12

Theories of Cognition

Flower & Hayes, A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing (Cross-Talk, pp. 273298) Bizzell, Cognition, Convention, and Certainty (Cross-Talk, pp. 367-392)

M Feb. 17

The Social Turn and Discourse Communities

Extra Credit Opportunity Tues., Feb. 18th at 4:00 p.m., Troy Moore Library (9th floor, Langdale Hall) Richard Grant, journalist and travel writer, will be giving a lecture about his travel writing and upcoming book project on the Mississippi Delta. Heres a tidbit about his plans for the lecture: Risk and adventure can be part of the tradition of travel writing, as it was for two of my books, but this sort of writing works best when it comes from a deep curiosity about other cultures. I will talk about how I started, what led me into the Sierra Madre, to Africa and now the Mississippi River. Wed., Feb. 19th at 10:00 a.m., Troy Moore Library (9th floor, Langdale Hall) Richard Grant will be giving a craft lecture about how he does the work of conducting research (interviewing, observing, photography, video, etc.) and travelling in ways that allow him to craft a travel narrative from impressions and events. If you attend either or both lecture(s) and write up a 2 page, typed response, I will give you 1 point of extra credit on your final grade. You can earn 1 point per 2-page response. W Feb. 19 Theories of Error & Grammar Midterm Review Weaver, Teach Grammar in the Context of Writing (D2L, 11 pages) M Feb. 24 W Feb. 26 Midterm Exam Library Day for Group Projects Conducting library research on topics in composition studies. Formatting an annotated bibliography. Spring 2014 / Page 7 ! Shaughnessy, Introduction to Errors and Expectations (D2L, pp. 387-396)

20 th Century Composition Theory & Practice

! Time for research and meeting in groups. Theories of Assessment Watch Beyond the Red Ink

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M Mar. 3

Because Writing Matters Chapter 5 (pp. 7185) Haswell, The Complexities of Responding to Student Writing: Or, Looking for Shortcuts via the Road of Excess (online via D2L, 27 pages) http://wac.colostate.edu/atd/articles/haswell 2006.cfm Because Writing Matters Chapter 6 (pp. 87104)

Note: Midpoint is March 4th. Students wishing to withdraw with a W should do so by this date. W Mar. 5 Creating Effective Writing Programs What the Experts Say Watch Take 20 Theories of Audience (Group Presentation Day) Theories of Collaborative Learning (Group Presentation Day)

M Mar. 10

Ede and Lunsford, Audience Addressed/ Audience Invoked (Cross-Talk, pp. 77-96) Bruffee, Collaborative Learning and the Conversation of Mankind (Cross-Talk, pp. 395-416)

W Mar. 12

Spring Break M Mar. 24 Technology & Writing (Group Presentation Day) Second Language Writing (Group Presentation Day) Theories of Voice & Identity Selfe and Selfe, The Politics of the Interface (Cross-Talk, pp. 739-64) Matsuda, Composition Studies and ESL Writing (Cross-Talk, pp. 673-698) Royster, When the First Voice You Hear is Not Your Own (Cross-Talk, pp. 555-566) Villanueva, Memoria Is a Friend of Ours (Cross-Talk, pp. 567-580) Multi-Genre Response # 4 Due (printed copy at the start of class) W Apr. 2 Publics & the Politics of Location Introduce final project Cushman, The Public Intellectual, Service Learning, and Activist Research (CrossTalk, pp. 509-518) Kirsch and Ritchie, Beyond the Personal (Cross-Talk, pp. 509-518)

W Mar. 26

M Mar. 31

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! M Apr. 7 Theories of Location & Place

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Cooper, The Ecology of Writing (D2L, pp. 364-375) Mauk, Location, Location, Location (D2L, pp. 366-388) Multi-Genre Response # 5 Due (printed copy at the start of class)

W Apr. 9

Conferences for Final Project

Instead of meeting for class, come for your scheduled conference time. Proposal due at conference.

M Apr. 14 W Apr. 16 M Apr. 21 W Apr. 23 M Apr. 28

Conducting Research for Final Project Work on Final Project Peer Review of Final Project Revisions of Final Project Going Public Bring draft of final project to class for peer review. Bring revised draft of final project to class. Public component of final project due.

M. May 5

Exam Time: 10:45 a.m. 1:15 p.m.

Final Project Due

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