The Writing Program The University of Texas at San Antonio. WRC and WRC Freshman Composition I

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1 and Treviño 1 The Writing Program The University of Texas at San Antonio WRC and WRC Freshman Composition I Instructor: Jason B. Treviño jason.trevino@utsa.edu Office: HSS TEL: Office Hours: M and W 3:00-4:00 p.m. Class Times/Rooms: MWF 1:00-1:50 p.m. (MB 1.124) and 2:00-2:50 p.m. (MB 1.102) COURSE DESCRIPTION WRC 1013 is the first of two required courses in the rhetoric sequence of the UTSA Core Curriculum. The course builds on competencies established in high school or in preliminary college writing courses. WRC 1013 emphasizes training in reading and writing and requires essays, discussions, and oral presentations based on provocative and critical readings. Students will study the principles of invention and arrangement, and will work to develop a sense of audience and purpose in their writing. Freshman composition reviews the principles of the writing process and of using sources for writing. Introduces the patterns of development, summary and paraphrase, analysis, evaluation, and synthesis of multiple sources drawn from a variety of cultural and intellectual contexts. Includes attention to forms of oral and visual communication and extensive library research and documentation (UTSA Undergraduate Catalogue). REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin s Handbook, 6th ed. (with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA updates) Boston: Bedford/St. Martin s, ISBN , cost $77.50 (new) The Writing Program. Freshman Composition I: Research and Composing in the Disciplines. Custom Edition. New York: Longman, ISBN: Aprox.: $77.25 (new) The Writing Program Student Handbook, No ISBN. Cost: $13.50 (new) * Additional readings, if any, will be distributed as needed in class THE WRITING PROGRAM MISSION STATEMENT Knowing how to write well is an essential component to being an educated person. Having our students become truly educated is our motivation. Therefore, the purpose of this course in the Writing Program is to provide opportunities for students to develop their writing and critical thinking skills in order to communicate effectively not only in the academic community but also in the workplace. We will achieve this by providing a variety of situations and audiences for our students and maintaining standards to meet the demands of our world.

2 and Treviño 2 OTHER MATERIALS NEEDED Blue Books as needed Money in your UTSA account for copies Stapler Your Instructor recommends you purchase and carry with you a dictionary (A desktop dictionary is best). UTSA CORE CURRICULUM GOALS Successful completion of this class works toward fostering a student s abilities to: Assess the perspectives and accomplishments of the past and to move to the future with an informed and flexible outlook. Promote intellectual adaptability, ethical awareness, and transfer among diverse modes of thought Cultivate verbal, numerical, and visual skills that are necessary to analyze and synthesize as it is reflected in natural science and mathematics; behavioral, cultural, and social sciences; and in language, literature, and artistic expression Develop critical awareness of the continuities and discontinuities of human thought, history, and culture to help prepare students to meet the demands of change. RHETORIC OBJECTIVES FOR UTSA CORE CURRICULUM Students must demonstrate: Competency in writing English Critical proficiency in oral and graphic communication Competency in constructing valid arguments and criticizing arguments Critical proficiency in using diverse theoretical perspectives to identify and formulate problems and draw conclusions Because reading well is essential to writing well, every paper you write in WRC 1013 will be a researched paper. You will have to demonstrate your ability to read, understand, synthesize, and communicate your understanding of others ideas and concepts in every paper. For all papers, you must identify your sources clearly within the text (in-text attribution or citation) as well as in properly formatted parenthetical documentation and works cited pages. MEANS OF ASSESSMENT Assessment % Major Papers and Revisions (6) 60% Class Participation, Daily Work, Group Work 15% Grammar Presentation 5% Final Exam 20%

3 and Treviño 3 Letter Grade Numerical Values A+= B+=88-90 C+=78-80 D+=68-70 F=50 A=92-98 B=82-88 C=72-78 D=62-68 Failure to turn in an assignment A-=90-92 B-=80-82 C-=70-72 D-=60-62 will result in a grade of Zero. THE WRITING CENTER The Writing Center is here to serve students. Paid tutors with BA degrees in English and some Writing Program professors serve as tutors. I encourage you to go to The Writing Center (located in JPL D) for help with your writing. Do not expect the tutor to grade or edit your paper. The tutors are there to assist with writing, organizing, and developing your papers. You may, of course, ask questions about grammar and mechanics; tutors may take advantage of teaching moments. The tutor room is located in HSS Please check The Writing Center Website for tutor schedules: UNIVERSITY POLICY ON SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY The University expects every student to maintain a high standard of individual integrity for work done. Scholastic dishonesty is a serious offense which includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test or other class work, plagiarism (the appropriation of another s work and the unauthorized incorporation of that work in one s own work), and collusion (the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing college work offered for credit). In cases of scholastic dishonesty, the faculty member responsible for this class may initiate disciplinary proceedings against the student. STATEMENT REGARDING DOCUMENTED DISABILITIES Students requesting accommodation must be registered with disability services and provide the instructor with an official accommodation letter. Their offices are in MS Their phone number is (210) ATTENDANCE POLICY Regular attendance is integral to your success. More than 3 absences will result in a lowering of your grade. Your grade will be lowered one letter grade for each class you miss after the first three absences. Should you have an emergency that requires you to be absent, it is extremely important that you contact me preferably before class. If you stop attending class, the date of your last attendance will be reported, and you will fail. Please note that this could jeopardize your financial aid status. CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS The Instructor and students are expected to be respectful of each others property, opinions, cultures, and person. Students will be expected to be in class ready to participate when class starts. Tardiness is strongly discouraged and will count against both participation and daily grades. Excessive absences (more than 3 missed classes) can cause the student to fail the class with an F.

4 and Treviño 4 Cell phones and other electronic devices must be turned off during class time. Students must arrive in class on time and be ready to participate and learn. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Daily Work: Various daily assignments and homework will be assigned throughout the semester. These assignments will count toward 10% of your final class grade. Because new material is covered everyday it is important that you attend class each period. Absences will result in a zero for the daily work issued on that day. The instructor may, from time to time, conduct a short 5 to 10 question reading quiz during class. These quizzes will be short one word or one-sentence answers based on general reading details. Major Papers: This class will require six major papers. For most papers, one draft of each paper will be submitted for review and grading. Typed rough drafts of each paper will be required for peer review workshops; you will also be graded (participation) on the feedback that you supply to your classmates. Each paper will include the components of synthesis and analysis and use documented sources (MLA). The final graded draft, of course, should be highly polished. At this stage, poorly edited drafts will be graded accordingly. In my class, paper lengths vary, but will all papers will be typed in Times New Roman size 12 Font, double spaced, with one inch margins on all sides. Correct headings, page numbers, and a Works Cited page are required. All papers MUST be stapled. I do not accept late papers or electronic submissions. Grammar Oral Presentation: Each student, as part of a group, will be required to present one grammar presentation to the class. Each member of the group will present for approximately 5-10 minutes and will include a handout and a learning activity/demonstration. Final Examination: Students in WRC 1013 will have a common final examination. Readings will be available to all students before our final class day. You will annotate (no full sentences) and/or highlight the readings and bring the readeings to class. You will turn in new blue books on the last day of class and I will return them to you at the beginning of the exam period. I will collect reading and all drafts on the day of the exam. Extra Credit: Throughout the course extra credit will be offered. Visits to the Writing Center can be used to increase the grade of a paper being submitted, with only three of these permitted per semester. Extra credit is in addition to class work and will not replace missing assignments. If you are not sure if something will count for extra credit please ask me.

5 and Treviño 5 COURSE CALENDAR Week One M 1/10 Course Introduction - Introductions - Discussion of Syllabus Read The Writing Program Student Handbook 1-39 through library section and 82, W 1/12 F 1/14 Week Two M 1/17 So... I m a Writer - Writing in the academy and in the working world. - Writing activity What is Your Writing Process? Group discussion /activity on 7 processes in SMH Writing Activity: How do/should the processes operate in your writing? Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Read SMH and 2b Academic Reading/Writing and Writing Processes SMH CH.S. 27 & 29 on Language to establish Common Ground and Word Choice W 1/19 F 1/21 In-Class activity in SMH Discussion of Audience and Analysis Need Book by Friday! - Grammar Diagramming Group Work - Subjects, Predicates - Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs - Phrases Types of Verbs SMH and SMH Chapter 9 Analyzing Argument RCD Chapter 1 pgs look over section on Figures and Tables and read Ann Lamott s Shitty First Drafts Week Three M 1/24 - Discuss Shitty First Drafts - Briefly discuss argument, interpretation, and Rhetorical aims. - DUE: 1013 Responsibilities and Duplication forms (pasges 81 and in The Writing Program Handbook.. - RCD W 1/26 - Last day to: drop or withdraw (drop all classes) without a grade - Summary Writing - What is it? - How to summarize but not plagiarize - Read RCD Chapter 2 to page 66 and Fredrick Douglass Learning to Read and Write

6 and Treviño 6 F 1/28 - Discuss Douglass - In-Class Writing - DISTRIBUTE ASSIGNMENT 1 HANDOUT - Read the rest of RCD Chapter 2 on 67-69, Intro to Chapter and Robert Reich s Why the Rich are getting Richer and the Poor Poorer Copy and annotate Reich s Essay. Week Four M 1/31 W 2/2 - Discuss Reich -Expand on strategies for reading -Quotations -Discuss Ehrenreich -MLA and reading Objectives -Discuss Summary Writing, Introduction, Theses, and Conclusions Print a copy of Ehrenreich s Nickel and Dimed. Read and Annotate. -RCD Chapter 3 F 2/4 Week Five M 2/7 Peer Review Workshop begins Monday On Being a helpful reviewer Structuring a Paper - Brainstorming - Prewriting - Outlining - Drafting -Peer review workshop HAND OUT ASSIGNMENT TWO SUMMARY SYNTHESIS DUE: First Summary Assignment draft due to me. -Bring two Copies of Draft to class - RCD Chapter 4 through page 99 Explanatory Synthesis W 2/9 - Peer Review and Writing - Discuss Synthesis F 2/11 - Group Work: Discuss current approaches to Assignment two. *Bring in reviewed work and draft two for continued discussion/peer review. - Read RCD to top of page 131. Do not read Compare Contrast Synthesis at this time - Bring Final Draft of First Writing Assignment. - Bring First Draft of Writing Assignment two to class. - Review CH. 18 MLA Format, Week Six M 2/14 - Peer Review and Writing - Bring second Rough Draft of Essay two to class W 2/16 - Grammar Presentation One - Read RCD chapter 4 from 131-

7 and Treviño 7 end of chapter. F 2/18 Week Seven M 2/21 - Examples of Compare and Contrast Writing - Compare and Contrast - Introduction to Compare and Contrast Writing - HANDOUT GUIDELINES FOR IN-CLASS ESSAY -Discuss Readings paying particular attention to strategies involved in Comparing and Contrasting. Assignment Two due. - Print Read and Annotate Sullivan and Bennet in RCD. Structure your notes and annotations so these documents may be of use to you in an in-class 4 page essay. Bring Clean Blue Book to class and hand in to instructor. W 2/23 -In Class 4 page Compare and Contrast Essay. You may use your annotated copies of the two assignments and no other sources. SMH Chapter 7 Look through RCD and select 2 essays you may be interested in for further study. Print out your 2 selections and turn in next class. F 2/25 Complete in-class essay SMH Chapter 7 Look through RCD and select 2 essays you may be interested in for further study. Print out your 2 selections and turn in next class. Week Eight M 2/28 Discuss paper series 4 Turn in page detailing your two selections Read Gloria Anzaldua s How to Tame a Wild Tongue in RCD Construct an outline of the work W 3/1 Grammar Presentation Two - Read Peggy McIntosh s White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack -Construct outline of text F 3/3 Discuss Anzaldua and McIntosh as class and in groups Author first paper series 4 on Anzaldua Week Nine M 3/7 Visual expression of Anzaldua and McIntosh Reading: To be decided

8 and Treviño 8 W 3/9 Grammar Presentation Three - Read Jessica Mitford s Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain in RCD F 3/11 - Discuss Mitford and TBA as class and in groups - - Due: First Paper series 4 on Anzaldua Author second paper series 4 on either? or Mitford Week Ten 3/13-3/19 Week Eleven M 3/21 - Spring Break - Reading TBA - Grammar Presentation Four - Turn in second paper series 4 - Read TBA W 3/23 F 3/25 Week Twelve M 3/28 Discuss TBA and GUIDED RESEARCH ESSAY ASSIGNMENT Researching workshop Briefly discuss TBA -Researching Workshop-cont d as needed -Revisit Anzaldua - Read TBA Author Final paper series four assignment on? - Turn in Final paper series four. W 3/30 - Brainstorming/Idea Generation Bring Article to class F 4/1 - Drafting and Outlining - Complete Brainstorming - Bring Second Article Week Thirteen M 4/4 - Writing Groups/Drafting - Complete Draft Outline W 4/6 - Peer Review and Writing - Grammar Presentation 5 F 4/8 - Peer Review and Writing HAND OUT STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT - Bring Rough Draft One - Bring Rough Draft two to Class Week Fourteen M-4/11 - Peer Review and Writing - Bring Articles on personal research projects Bring Draft to class W 4/13 - Why Do We Critique? - How Do We Critique? - Proposal writing - Guided Research Paper Due F 4/15 - Discuss proposals in groups Turn in Proposal

9 and Treviño 9 Week Fifteen M 4/18 W-4/20 - Peer review Peer Review F 4/22 - Peer Review Week Sixteen M 4/25 - Peer Review - Last Day to Drop W 4/27 - Peer Review. Research Paper Due F 4/29 - University Study Day No Classes Prepare for Final. Read and Annotate your selections as you did for in-class essay. *Final Exam Schedule: will take the final exam Wednesday 4 May from 1:30-4:00 p.m will take the final exam Friday 6 May from 1:30-4:00 p.m. Disclaimer: This syllabus is provided for informational purposes regarding the anticipated course content and schedule of this course. It is based upon the most recent information available on the date of its issuance and is accurate and complete as possible. I reserve the right to make any changes I deem necessary and/or appropriate. I will make my best efforts to communicate any changes in the syllabus in a timely manner. Students are responsible for being aware of these changes.