This document is an addendum, or addition, to the course syllabus found in Paideia 13.

This
document provides detailed prompts and grading criteria for the assignments in this class that
have been inspired by Paideia 13, and the prompts included here are the writing prompts for
this class. The course policies included here are in addition to the course policies included in
Paideia 13. The document can also be found on the course website and I reserve the right to
make revisions if needed. Read it carefully. If you have questions about any of the
assignments or course policies, it’s your responsibility to bring those questions to me.

Course Policies
The following course policies are in addition to those listed in Paideia 13’s syllabus (found on
pages 144-151 in Paideia 13).

Late Work
Projects and assignments are due on the due dates and times specified; absence from class is
not an excuse for late work. I understand that events beyond your control may require you to
miss class, and if you have such a situation, contact me before you miss class to make
necessary arrangements to submit your work. I accept late work no later than one week past
the original due date, and I will reduce the points earned on a writing assignment if it is turned in
late. You are responsible for finding out about in-class work, discussed material, and
announcements missed in your absence, and for keeping up with reading and due dates.

Respecting Others
I do not tolerate the use of language or behavior that discriminates against any individual’s
gender, race, class, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation. Even innocent jokes about
such things are rarely seen as jokes by everyone. Any comments, jokes, remarks, or quips that
demean the worth of an individual will not be tolerated. In addition, students in this class have
sacrificed their time, energy, and money in order to take this class, and activities that disrupt
class are disrespectful to the sacrifices others have made. If you are continuously (more than
once) disruptive in class, I reserve the right to excuse from class and count you absent.

Academic Ownership
One of the things about college is the increased freedom to make decisions on your own. You
can choose to go to work, take classes that interest you, organize your studies how you desire,
take classes with your friends and even live with your friends. Here’s a word of caution from
someone who has been on the winning and losing side of those decisions..choices are not
excuses. I understand and emphasize that some of you work, that some of you have
commitments outside of academics, and that all of you have important relationships outside of
the classroom; however, I believe I do a disservice to my students by lowering standards or
excusing individuals from course requirements due to personal choices.

Remember I am here to help you pass this course. If you are confused or have concerns about
the syllabus, the projects, or anything having to do with this class, please feel free to contact
me. I can’t develop as a teacher or effectively help students unless students communicate their
concerns with me.

Electronic Gadgetry and Gizmos

I understand and appreciate the importance of technology so cellphones and laptops are more
than welcome in my class, but I ask that your primary focus be on the class. Which means no
headphones, no games, no social networking, no ringtones, no taking phone calls and no
music. There will also be times when I ask that these tools be turned off so that we can focus
on group work or class discussions for example. If they become a distraction to me or to the
class they will be banned for a set time or permanently. Again only cellphones and laptops. No
Foreman Grills, No Toaster Ovens, No iPods, No Walkman's, No X-Boxes and No Wiis. That is
not an exhaustive list of banned items, but hopefully you get the idea.

Revisions
A revision is a re-writing of a paper that has already been turned in and graded. I’ll allow an
unlimited number of revisions to be done, up to two weeks after the original assignment was
turned in, for a new grade. You must turn in the original assignment on time to be eligible for
revision. If you don’t turn it in on time, no revisions will be accepted. Revisions will be accepted
for the Rhetorical Analysis, Annotated Bibliography, and the Final Draft.

Example: Edward turns in his Rhetorical Analysis and I give him a B because he didn’t have a
topic sentence for any of his paragraphs. Edward re-writes the paper, adding topic sentences
for all the paragraphs, and I change his grade to an A.

Course Assignments
Below are the assignment names, due dates, point values, and prompts for all assignments in
section 31 of English 111. The bolded assignments in the table below are required and
assigned a point value by the NMSU English Department.

Assignment Due Dates Point Value Due Via

Reading Responses Weekly: Tuesday 75 Blackboard

10:00 am

Weekly Writing Weekly: Tuesday 75 Blackboard

10:00 am

Rhetorical Analysis September 21st 50 Blackboard

Topic Proposal/ October 7th 50 Blackboard

Thesis Statement

Rough Outline October 21st 25 Blackboard

Annotated October 21st 75 Blackboard

Bibliography

Documented First Draft First Draft 150 Blackboard and In

Argument November 2nd Peer Review 50 Class
Peer Reviews Final Draft 200
November 2nd &11th
Final Draft
November 18th

Final Exam 150

Attendance 100

Total = 1,000
All assignments submitted via Blackboard, except for Weekly Writing and Reading Responses,
must be uploaded as Microsoft word 1997-2003 documents (i.e., .doc). All assignments must
use size 12 Times New Roman font; bold and italics for emphasis and titles only.

Assignment Criteria and Prompts

Reading Responses (due Tuesdays at 10:00 AM)
Reading Responses will be used heavily in the beginning of the semester to make sure
everyone reads and engages the texts. Reading responses will be due via Blackboard in the
Discussion section of the site. It is a blog style discussion board that allows you to comment
back and forth in the same feed. I encourage you to read and comment back and forth with
each other. There will be 11 reading responses throughout the semester, worth 7 points each
(total 77). These are graded pass/fail.

Weekly Writing (due Tuesdays at 10:00 AM)

Weekly Writing assignments will be every week that a major assignment is not due to practice
writing, see how your classmates engage the writing process, and to pre-write for your
documented argument. Weekly Writing is due via Blackboard in the Discussion section of the
site. It is a forum style discussion board that shows each person’s entry as a separate entry. I
encourage you to read each other’s entries, comment on them, and respond to the comments
your entry receives, though this is not mandatory. There will be 11 reading responses
throughout the semester, worth 7 points each (total 77). These are graded pass/fail.

Rhetorical Analysis (due September 21st at 10:00 AM)

The Rhetorical Analysis is a paper that analyzes the arguments of a blog, vlog, or micro-blog
(i.e. Blogspot, Twitter, Tumblr, Youtube channel, etc.) of a social activist, political activist, or
artist. It is an assignment that will help prepare you to interrogate and think critically about the
sources you’ll use in your documented argument. You’ll need to identify and give the
significance of the following: Context (who is the author or authors), Genre (what is this piece of
writing and who is it for), Claims (what is the author saying), and Appeals (how ethos, logos and
pathos are working). You’ll need to asses whether or not the rhetorical appeals were effective in
light of the blog’s context and audience. It must be a minimum of 900 words.

Grading Criteria: There will be grade for turning it in on time (25 points) and the rest of the
grade will be determined by how complete it is, whether or not you’ve provided a useful, brief,
and relevant summary of the context and genre of the blog, whether or not you’ve thoroughly
and clearly discussed the appeals and whether or not you’ve successfully and accurately
assessed the authors arguments. Lastly I will grade your paper on it’s organization, grammar,
and spelling.