English 103-007, Spring 2005
MW 3:30-4:45, MO 203
Instructor: Dr. Nicholas Laudadio
Office: Morton 105D, Office Hours: MWF 2-3, by appt.
Contact: laudadion@uncw.edu

Course Description: Seeing and Writing
With the right attitude, writing isn’t necessarily an awful necessity; it can be a vehicle for expressing emotion, voicing concern, and arguing for change. To learn how to write you must first learn how to see; therefore, this class will focus on a variety of texts both written and pictorial including essays, photographs, and paintings. You will cultivate the ability to analyze these texts and speak with conviction about them, skills that in turn will facilitate your own writing process. Throughout the semester, you will explore many patterns of writing including description, narration, and argumentation. You will use a variety of techniques as you create your writing patterns including freewriting/freetyping, revision, peer editing, and self-assessment. These strategies are all an integral part of the writing process, and together they will help you formulate coherent, persuasive, and interesting (yes-interesting) pieces of work. In summary, this class will not (necessarily) make writing seem easier or more fun. But perhaps it will make writing seem (at least sometimes and in some ways) worth it.

Required texts:
Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. Boston: Bedford/Saint Martin, Third Edition.
McQuade, Donald and Christine. Seeing &Writing 2. Boston: Bedford/Saint Martin, 2003.
(Make sure you have the second edition of Seeing & Writing; it has changed significantly.)
Always bring both books to class.

Supplies: sturdy pocket folder (not a binder) for response journal; binder for taking notes/holding returned assignments; backup disk for computer work.
*Save all writing you do this semester in at least two locations (two disks). Also save all work that I hand back to you.*

Course Requirements
•EVERY assignment (including daily assignments) should be typed in a standard 10 or 12 point font (Times or Times New Roman; Bembo or Garamond if you’re feeling fancy) in MLA style (refer to your handbook). Hand in all versions of the paper with your final.
•Late assignments will be reduced by one-third of a grade per class day.
•Absence from class on the date due does not excuse the lateness of your assignment.

Breakdown of Grades
Three formal essays (some of which will have two parts): 75%
Response Journals: 15%.
Quizzes: 10%
How participation works: Your participation will fall in one of these three categories:
*You consistently offer comments that are unusually perceptive/illuminating: your final grade goes up 1/3 (i.e. from a B minus to a B)
*You participate regularly and give answers that are on target: your final grade remains the same
*You participate rarely and/or you have a poor attitude: your final grade drops by 1/3 (i.e. from a B minus to a C plus)
See also Attendance

Formal Essays: More information will be given in class.
Response Journals: Nearly every class day you will be given a writing prompt that you should answer thoroughly, intelligently, and fluidly (in MLA style). You must bring these papers to class in your response journal folder on the day the assignment is due. Put your responses in order (first to last). Nothing else should appear in your response journals (i.e. no class notes, no other assignments). I will pick up your folders several times throughout the semester, so you must bring your folders every day. Poor class participation will make me more inclined to pick up your folders when you are least expecting it, so come prepared.
Quizzes: Throughout the semester you will be taking occasional vocabulary and grammar quizzes. You will receive advance warning for some of these tests and others will be a surprise. If you miss a quiz it is your responsibility to make it up within the week; otherwise, you will receive a 0% for that quiz.

Attendance: You are allowed to miss three classes before you are penalized. 4 missed days= your final grade drops by a third (i.e. from a B minus to a C plus).
5 missed days= your final grade drops by another third (i.e. from a C plus to a C)
6 missed days=you receive a failing grade
The class depends upon your presence—don’t let us down, and don’t test me on this policy. In other words, save up your absences in case of an emergency—that’s why I’ve allotted these days. (Note: having to meet with your advisor does not constitute an emergency). You will not get extra time allotted to you if something comes up late in the semester and you’ve already used up your absences. Make sure you keep track of absences on your own.

Lateness: If you are late to class three times (that is, if you come in after I have taken attendance), you will receive one absence. If you are late, please make sure that I have marked you present. If you find that parking is a problem on the first day (and it almost always is) come earlier.

Incompletes: The incomplete grade may be given only to students who have 1) fulfilled the attendance requirement for the course and 2) completed all but one of the written assignments. 

Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarism is using another person’s words (even just a few words and even if they are from some old website) AND/OR ideas as if they were your own. To avoid plagiarism, simply put the material you have taken in quotation marks and cite the person’s name and publication information in your paper. Please note that turning in an assignment that you wrote for another class also falls under the heading of academic dishonesty and is prohibited. If you turn in any such assignments, you will receive an “F” for the course and I will notify the Dean. 

Disabilities: If you have a disability and need reasonable accommodation, you should inform me of this fact in writing within the first week of class. If you have not already done so, you must register with the Office of Disability Services in Westside Hall (extension 3746) and obtain a copy of your Accommodation Letter. You should then schedule an appointment with me to make mutually agreeable arrangements based on the recommendations in your letter. 

Help With Papers: Feel free to stop in during office hours for any reason; as paper time draws near, you’ll probably want to schedule an appointment if you’re desperate for additional feedback. If you need additional assistance on your paper draft beyond this meeting, please seek out the Writing Place; the staff are there to provide feedback on papers. (Please keep in mind, however, that merely having someone on the staff read your paper does not ensure you of a higher grade.) http://www.uncw.edu/stuaff/writingplace/ 962-7155 (appointments are recommended)

Miscellaneous
Phrases that you should never utter in this class:
“You’re reading too much into it.” “I don’t have anything to say.” “I didn’t understand the essay.” “I didn’t really like that piece.” “Do we have to type this?” “I have to be late to class every day because....” “Can I make up the classes I’ve missed so my grade isn’t lowered?” “I really need to get an A in this class.” “I’ve never received such a low grade before.” “Do absences count if we have a doctor’s note?”

What does it mean to summarize?: According to UNCW’s English Department, a strong summary “will introduce the name of the article and writer clearly; state the main point of the article clearly; summarize the supporting general points with appropriate details and be free of details that do not support general point; show evidence of understanding the major topic shifts within the article; use a variety of verbs or verb phrases to indicate topic shifts; use transitions, if needed, to help the reader follow the development of the summary; have no interjecting opinions that interrupt the coherence of the summary; use quotations and paraphrases effectively to avoid plagiarism; respond specifically to content/form of the article; be mostly free from distracting errors in mechanics and usage.”