Writing 140: Writing and Critical Reasoning
SI Affiliation: GEOG 257, Environment and Ethics (McKenzie)
Fall 2012
Matt Manson, Ph.D.
Office: JEF 254
Office Hours: to be announced.
Writing Program Office: JEF 150
Telephone: (213) 740-1980
Writing Center Telephone: (213) 740-3691
Email: mmanson@usc.edu
Twitter: http://twitter.com/MansonWriting. Please set up a Twitter account if you don’t already have one and follow my feed. I find this is a useful tool for keeping up with changes in class schedule and/or readings and for connecting with other media related to the course.
I also have an instructional blog at http://mansonwriting.blogspot.com/ that will lead you to the course blog (see the “Writing Courses” links along the right-hand side). You will be doing most, if not all, of your reading response writing on the course blog so familiarize yourself with it. Also, you will need a gmail account to contribute to the blog so set this up ASAP.
We will also be using Blackboard (accessible through the USC home page) to distribute and collect course materials. So please get to know this resource as well.
Required Texts
Writing 140 Course Book 2011-2012
Handouts TBA
Course Description
This course will introduce you to the conventions of American academic writing and help you develop the critical thinking and writing skills necessary to engage a university audience. The course is built around five pedagogical themes: Critical Reasoning, Invention, Arrangement, Style, and Revision—with the intention that you will come to understand writing as a process, a complex and even elegant process of synchronizing the cognitive exertion of writing with the complex and often enigmatic expectations of the reader. With that said, we are still engaged in a skill-based endeavor and while we teach process, we grade product. In working toward making that product the best it can be, our class will function on the model of a “writing workshop.” We will be reading, discussing, and commenting on each other’s writing in class.
Social Issues Affiliation
This WRIT 140 course is affiliated with GEOG 257: Environment and Ethics. This means we will draw upon issues presented in the GEOG 257 lectures but we are not a discussion section of GEOG 257. Ours is an independent course with its own themes, guidelines, goals and grading standards. Your job in GEOG 257 is to learn about issues regarding environmental ethics. Your job in WRIT 140 is to learn how to write at a college level about these and other related topics.
Course Requirements
You will write 5 thesis-driven essays, each about 5-7 pages. Papers will conform to MLA style, double-spaced, one-inch margins, etc. Additionally, there will be a variety of in-class writing activities, reading response writings, and homework.
Grading
Final Grades are calculated as follows:
Attendance / Participation 10%
Final Portfolio 35%
Four out-of-class essays 55%
Attendance and Class Participation
As this is a workshop-oriented course, attendance is mandatory. The official Attendance Policy can be found in the Course Book. The highlights:
You may miss 2 classes without effect to your final grade
Tardiness of more than 10 minutes may be counted as an absence
Missing a conference counts as an absence
If you need to leave early please inform me at the beginning of class
Technology
For the most part this class will consist of discussion and workshop activities. We will be interacting with one another face-to-face, and to facilitate this, laptops will generally not be allowed in class. I understand this is a popular method for taking notes, but I believe this works only to isolate you from your fellow students. There may be times when we’ll have the chance to actually draft sections of an assignment-in-progress during class; in that case I’ll let you know ahead of time and you can bring your computer if you wish.
It should also be understood that cell phone use is strictly forbidden and phones themselves must be on SILENT MODE (not vibrate) and PUT AWAY. Which means, NO TEXTING IN CLASS. I reserve the right to mark you absent if I catch you texting during class time. (We all have lives outside the university, and truth be told, if there’s a situation requiring your immediate notification, you should probably be attending to it instead of sitting in class.)
Final Portfolio
In lieu of a final exam, you will be handing in a final portfolio consisting of the fifth essay assignment, a significantly revised essay of your choice, and a final in-class essay. We will discuss the specifics of the final portfolio later in the semester, but bear in mind that since the portfolio represents your best work, it will be held to the most rigorous standards of the grading rubric. Significant revision is required.
Paper Acceptance Policy
Although the final product receives the grade, this course is about teaching the process of writing. As such, it is essential that you attend class and participate fully in the drafting process for each paper—this means coming to class prepared with all homework completed and attending scheduled conferences. If you miss too many classes for any one paper, it will not have undergone the drafting process as outlined in this course, and I will not be able to accept it. Papers should be turned in with all associated materials (prewriting exercises, notes, research, drafts, etc.).
A hard copy of your paper should be turned in to me at the beginning of class on the due date. An identical electronic copy should then be emailed to me and also submitted to Blackboard within 24 hours of the due date (we will go over the procedure for this in class). Remember, these three submissions are mutually exclusive and turning in one is not a substitute for turning in the others.
Late Papers
The penalty for late papers is one-third of a grade (e.g. a “C+” to a “C”) per class meeting that the paper is late. If you think you will have trouble completing a paper on time, please see me. Of course, extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration—I just ask to be kept informed.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center is available to you for help with any part of your writing process—Invention, Drafting, Revision. Appointments may be made in advance (recommended around due dates) or on a first come-first serve basis if you opt to walk-in. Sessions are 30 minutes, and one-on-one with Writing Center staff. You should come prepared to ask questions, and to a certain degree direct the session—you should know what you want help with, and you should bring any and all materials related to the assignment you’re working on. The Writing Center is located on the 3rd floor of Taper Hall, and is open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. and Friday 9 a.m.-3 p.m. They also have evening hours from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday in the Lower Commons located in Leavey Library.
Plagiarism and Illegitimate Assistance
Plagiarism is the intentional or unintentional use of another writer’s words or ideas without proper acknowledgement. It is, in short, theft. The university and I take plagiarism very seriously as it violates the integrity of academia generally and this university specifically. If you are having real difficulty finishing a paper (or properly managing source material), please see me. Don’t panic and plagiarize. A plagiarized paper will receive an automatic “F” and may result in an “F” for the course. Illegitimate assistance occurs when a student receives so much help writing a paper that the student is no longer really the author. Don’t let others—no matter how good their intentions—drastically revise your ideas or writing. For more thorough definitions please review “Be Responsible for Your Own Authority” and the Academic Integrity sections in the Course Book.
Students With Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.
The USC College Debate Series
Attendance at two outside debates is an official requirement of WRIT 140 (this is listed as a “lab” in your course registration). Dates and speakers to be announced.
