Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
English 1106
Office: Shanks 440
Office Phone: (540) 231-8406
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 11:00-12:30, Online Hours:
Friday 12:00-2:00
Email: Nicoleaw@vt.edu
Website: http://www.nicoleannwilliams.com
Text Required:
A Call To Write: 4th Brief Addition. John Trimbur. 2008. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 054705016X
“In first year composition, we see writing, visual communication, and speaking as three
important aspects of strong communication, communication which will be useful to you
both as a student and as a graduate of Virginia Tech.”
Course Objectives
Course Policies
Electronic Note: In an effort to do our part to help the environment, all course work
will be electronic based. Assignments will be posted online, all work will be handed in
electronically via blackboard or your own websites, workshops will be conducted
electronically, and grades will be kept electronically through Scholar. Together we can
save hundreds of pounds of paper this semester and, essentially, a lot of trees.
Attendance: What happens in class each day only works if everyone is here to
participate as much as possible; therefore, attendance is mandatory. You are allowed
three absences for the semester free and clear. I don’t need to know where you were or
what you were doing. However, each absence over three will automatically
lower your participation grade by 1/3 of a letter grade. For instance a B will go
down to a B-.
Tardiness: I value the time we have together in class to accomplish our goals for the
semester. I do not appreciate students that interrupt class by habitually coming in late.
It is distracting to me and to your peers. Please come to class on time.
Classroom Behaviors:
1 Our class meets in a computer classroom, which may pose several
distractions. Checking e-mail and surfing the web during class time is
both rude and inappropriate. This behavior will not be tolerated and will
affect your participation grade.
2 Please remember to turn off all cell phones, ipods, mp3 players, and other
communication devices that pose a distraction to our class. If your
phone rings, vibrates, sings, or makes any other noise during
class I get to answer it. In return, should my cell phone ever
ring in class you get to answer it. Failure to follow the policy will
affect your participation grade.
3 Class time is not a time for private discussions amongst each other. Such
behavior is rude and disruptive to the class. Please save such
conversations for after class.
Virginia Tech Honor Code: The Honor Code will be strictly enforced in this
course in so far as it does not interfere with collaborative development and
mutual learning. All assignments submitted shall be considered graded
work, unless otherwise noted. All aspects of your coursework are covered
by the Honor System. Any suspected violations of the Honor Code will be
promptly reported to the Honor System. Honesty in your academic work
will develop into professional integrity. The faculty and students of Virginia
tech will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty.
Plagiarism of any work from a current or former student in this course is
considered to be an honor code violation. Through the use of peer
evaluations and collaborative development, and the use of the WWW, there
is a strong possibility that you will be exposed to concepts and ideas that
you can use in your own work. Getting permission to use those ideas and
concepts from the originator (except when it is already in the public domain
such as on the Web, or in print) and giving appropriate acknowledgement
in your own work circumvents a charge of plagiarism.
Presentation of someone else’s work as your own is dishonest and unacceptable. If I
find out that you have plagiarized you will receive a zero for the assignment
and, possibly, fail the course. Be assured that I will find out if you have plagiarized,
therefore it would be wise for you to do your own work and cite any and all material you
take from other sources. Plain and simple-if it isn’t your own words or idea than tell me
where you found it.
Course Adaptations: If you are a student with special needs or circumstances, if you
have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special
arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with
me as soon as possible during my office hours.
Writing Center: You are encouraged to take advantage of the Writing Center. The
Writing Center offers free one-to-one assistance on all your writing projects for all of
your classes. The Writing Center is located in 340 Shanks Hall. It is open Monday to
Friday 9-5. You may schedule an appointment by calling 231-5436.
www.composition.english.vt.edu/wc
Course Requirements
Formal Essays: For this class you will write four essays that are 5-6 pages each
outside of class that will culminate in one 18-20 page paper at the end of the semester.
Each essay will require a draft that will be responded to by me and your peers.
Assignments will be discussed throughout the semester as the time for each approaches.
Detailed assignment sheets can be located on my website. Assignments are due at the
beginning of class as stated on the course schedule. All assignments will be turned in
electronically.
Blogs: You will be required to create and maintain a blog throughout the semester. We
will create the blogs together in class. Each week you will be required to write at least
one blog post on your own blog and respond to at least one of your classmates blog
posts. Your blog entries each week should discusses your thoughts and ideas on any of
the assigned reading for that class week and how they may relate to your own writing.
This is your chance to reflect on the reading and writing you do each week. We will
discuss the conventions of blog writing in class. Your blog can be thought of as your
electronic journal to track your learning and progress during the semester. It is also a
tool to communicate and share ideas with your peers and the world.
In-class Writing: During class time you will be asked to write on a variety of issues,
ideas, and prompts that relate to readings and class material. These writings will assist
in class discussion and serve as a tool for both of us to reflect on the work you are doing.
These will be completed on blackboard during class time. You will find that each of you
has your own section on the discussion board where you will produce these
assignments. This will allow you to view them all in one place when it comes time to put
together your portfolio.
Portfolios: The best way I have found to help students understand and appreciate
what it means when I say “writing is a process” is to include a portfolio component in
my writing classes. Twice this semester, once at midterm and once at the end of the
semester, you will be responsible for collecting and revising the work you’ve done in and
outside class. You will turn in both formal and informal writing, some of it revised,
some of it not. You will also include an introduction that discusses what you’ve learned
and provides a self-evaluation of your writing. These portfolios will be returned with a
formal letter grades attached that evaluate the work in the portfolio as well as your
success in the class. These portfolios will be electronic web texts.
Group Project: Once this semester you will get together with a group of your peers to
deliver a power point presentation. A detailed assignment sheet will be handed out and
posted on blackboard.
Readings: Outside readings will be assigned for each class period. They are listed on
the schedule. It is vital to your grade that you complete all readings and come to class
prepared to discuss them.
Conferences: You will be responsible for meeting with me twice during the semester
outside of class. One conference will be at midterm to talk about the progress of
your portfolio revisions. The meetings will be about fifteen minutes long and I will
cancel class for the week to accommodate these conferences. I will tell you very
specifically what you should bring to the meeting at the time we schedule it. Failure to
come to these conferences and/or failure to come to these conferences prepared with a
draft to work on will count as one week of absences-furthermore, do not waste my
time or your own by not showing up or showing up unprepared. I am just as busy as you
are, but if you are prepared to invest time in your writing then I am too. A sign up sheet
will be passed around as the time approaches for conferences. It is your
responsibility to schedule a second conference with me at the end of the
semester as you prepare your final portfolio. Failure to schedule and attend will
result in an absence. Additionally, feel free to come to my office hours at any time during
the semester.
Note: All writing you do in this class-drafts, revisions, in-class writing, blogs-should be
saved so you have a wide selection to choose from when putting together your portfolio.
It is imperative that you save all your writing so you can see how you have developed as
a writer throughout the course of the semester.
In this course you will not receive letter grades on individual drafts and assignments. I
know many of you are probably thinking that I am completely crazy for doing this. I
also know not receiving a letter grade on each paper will make some of you nuts
however; it really is for the best. Using this portfolio system of evaluation allows me the
opportunity to give you credit for the things that grading individual papers does not:
such as effort and revision and improvement. Although you will not receive individual
letter grades on each draft you turn in, you will receive extensive comments and
feedback from me that will help you understand the quality of the work you are doing as
well as assist you in improving your writing. You will receive a letter grade at mid-term
and at the end of the semester when you turn in your portfolio. These two grades will be
based on the following criteria:
1 Meeting all of the requirements described above.
2 The quality of your written work, including how successful your revision
work is.
3 The quality of your effort in class, in workshops, in discussion, in groups,
in conferences, and in general.
4 Your demonstration of a willingness to try new things, think in new ways,
and explore different perspectives as both a reader and a writer.
My comments should provide you with a clear understanding of your progress in the
class; if you ever feel as though you are unsure, come see me and we will discuss it.
Please Note: A minimum course grade of C is required to receive credit for this course.
I will be using the Grading Rubric below to grade all formal assignments included in the
portfolio.