English 100W: English Studies Writing Workshop

Phone/Voicemail: 924-4457 T-R 10:00-11:30 a.m.

E-mail: csigler@email.sjsu.edu and by appointment

Web page: www.sjsu.edu/faculty/csigler

100W Web page: www.sjsu.edu/faculty/csigler/100Wsp01.html
 

REQUIRED ITEMS
The required items below may be purchased at the Spartan and Robertsí Bookstores, or ordered online or through a local bookstore. Please purchase only the editions listed below so that you will have the same page numbers as the rest of the class and be able to follow class discussion and lecture.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to English 100W, an advanced integrated writing and literature course designed to expand and refine studentsí writing, critical reading and research skills with respect to the study of literature. This course will focus on the ability to red, interpret and analyze literary texts orally and in writing. This course will introduce students to major literary genres, as well as research methods, critical approaches to texts, and manuscript formats, and will explore various issues including race, class, and gender in literature and culture.

COURSE GOALS

• The ability to read, analyze and interpret literary texts thoughtfully, and to respond to them critically both orally and in writing;
• Advanced proficiency in both traditional and contemporary research strategies and methodologies necessary for writing research-informed papers that communicate complex ideas effectively and appropriately to both general and specialized audiences;
• A rhetorically sophisticated writing style appropriate to upper-division university and advanced English studies discourse;
• Mastery of the mechanics of academic writing and manuscript form.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING PERCENTAGES
Assignments will be evaluated in terms of a student's ability to express a focused idea clearly and persuasively. This will require a clear thesis, careful organization, appropriate diction and sentence structure, substantial support for one's points, polished expression and an awareness of one's audience. Library research will form a key component of several assignments. Course work includes reading assignments (see schedule below); two 4-5-page formal essays; a research project, which will begin with a 1-page proposal and annotated bibliography, and conclude with a 6 to 8-page formal research paper; 2 1-hour in-class essay exams; a final exam; a series of short, informal writing assignments; and informal in-class assignments which will include frequent reading quizzes. Your attendance and participation in class will also affect your grade. In fact, much of the course work cannot be completed if you are not in class. Students having difficulties with specific writing and/or editing skills will be given individual assignments from Rules for Writers as needed over the length of the course.

QUIZZES
We will have frequent unannounced quizzes. They will be varied in format, may be given at any time during the course meeting time, and may be on current reading material or on previous class discussions. In-class quizzes may not be made up; however, the lowest score will be dropped at the end of the semester, and one or two opportunities for extra credit will be offered during the semester.

ATTENDANCE
Roll is taken at each class meeting, as participation is a significant part of the final course grade for any writing workshop.  Remember that each student is responsible for all material presented and discussed in every class, including any changes in the greensheet; if you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain class materials, assignments and information from the professor and/or colleagues. I appreciate it when students arrive on time and stay for the entire class.  Tardiness is disruptive to the class, and may cause you to miss announcements, quizzes and/or important class material; if you arrive late, you are responsible for letting the professor know at the end of class so that you can be marked present. All beepers, phones or other electronic devices must be switched off during class time.

CLASS WEB SITE
The class Web site provides a number of online resources to help you with writing, revision and research.  These include links to grammar guides and interactive grammar exercises, research method and style guides, online dictionaries and encyclopedias, links to online writing centers, and links to research topic sites.  Copies of course handouts and assignments will also be available on the Web site.

PARTICIPATION
Class participation is defined as answering questions in class, demonstrating full preparation, and asking thought-provoking questions. Occasionally during the course of the semester we may divide into groups to facilitate discussions of key themes and issues in the material we have been examining.

The department of English reaffirms its commitment to the differential grading scale as defined in the official SJSU catalogue ("The Grading System"). Grades issued must represent a full range of student performance: A = excellent; B = above average; C = average; D = below average; F = failure. Courses graded according to the A,, B, C, No Credit system shall follow the same pattern, except that NC (No Credit) shall replace D or F. In such classes, NC shall also substitute for W (Withdrawal) because neither grade (NC or W) affects studentsí GPA.

In English 100W, writing grades are based on the following criteria:

• An A essay (outstanding) presents a cogent, well-articulated critique, demonstrates a high degree of competence in writing, demonstrates facility with conventional correctness, includes a variety of sentence structures, stylistic devices of rhetorical nature, complex thought and diction, logical organization. It will provide original and provocative ideas, show development and complexity of thought appropriate to college level, and support abstract concepts with well-selected, relevant details and examples from the literature. Writing in this category will reflect serious, mature, and original ideas at a high level. It will comprehend the dynamics or polarities inherent in the work of literature at a significant level above the simple and superficial realm. It will demonstrate superior comprehension of a text's literary language. It will also show sensitivity to the figurative and general metaphoric nature of the text.
• A B essay (strong) presents a well-developed critique and demonstrates good control of the elements of effective writing. It will be similar to an A paper in readability and mechanics, although its understanding of the literature and/the assignment may be slighted, or somewhat superficial, may provide more general supporting evidence, and display a slight weakness in organization and structure. A few minor errors in logic may be present, but the basic content is very good. An essay in this category usually demonstrates a clear, solid grasp of the ideas, but is more conventional and not as well organized and developed.
• A C essay (adequate) presents a competent critique and demonstrates adequate control of writing. It may have occasional problems with mechanics, but it contains no serious errors. It may have some paragraph development and transition difficulties, sentence structure may be somewhat awkward and simple. Errors in diction and idiom may occur. Nevertheless, a C essay will demonstrate a solid awareness of the significance of literature, and will display a good, competent understanding of it. The supporting evidence is often irrelevant, and it usually introduces irrelevancies and vague paraphrases. An essay in this category is average; it generally has good ideas, but lacks development, fluency, and preciseness.
• A D essay (limited) will treat the assignment in a superficial manner, misinterpret the literature, or give irrelevant and vague supporting material. The thesis statement is usually poorly conceived. There will be marked deficiencies in organization, a serious lack of development, and contain many elementary flaws in grammar, diction, mechanics, sentence structure, and coherence. Even though a D essay may contain some moments of insight, it has serious problems in readability and mechanics.
• An F essay will fail to fulfill the assignment, will lack any comprehension of the literature, and express general confusion regarding the issues. Generally, it also has very serious problems in the areas of style (readability) and mechanics. Any paper that does not demonstrate basic competency in the English language, regardless of how hard the student tries, will not pass the standards set by the department of English. Students who anticipate difficulties in this area should sign up for the English writing lab and arrange for special help.

DISABLED STUDENT SERVICES
Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should register with the Disabilities Resource Center (DRC) located in ADM 110, where a wide range of resources are available. Any student needing test accommodation must be registered with the DRC and inform the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Please advise the professor immediately of any other special needs.

READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
The following schedule may be modified during the course of the semester at the discretion of the instructor, but students will be notified of any change at least one class day in advance. Detailed descriptions of the exams, reports and project will be distributed in class. All reading assignments must be completed by the first date listed, and texts should always be brought to class on the day they are to be discussed. Titles with an asterisk (*) are films, which will be viewed in class.