English 300: Writing for Business



ENGLISH 1005 COURSE SYLLABUS

(Spring 2013)

English 1005:

Murder, Mayhem and Madness: Writing About Social Justice

Location: Room 206 of the Christoverson Humanities Building

Class Times: Tuesday/Thursday 9.55-11.40

Office:  Christoverson 304

Office Phone: (863) 680-4346/ Personal cell (to be used sparingly) (863) 381.2106

Note about communicating with me: My cell phone and email are the two best ways to reach me. However, if you’re going to contact me by phone or text, please identify yourself and what you need from me. Be explicit.

Office Hours:  11.45-12.15 and by appointment Rm. 304

E-mail Address:  sb@

COURSE DESCRIPTION: Four hours. Instruction and practice in writing short personal, informative, and argumentative essays about a selected topic (social justice) that is the focus for the semester.

EXPANDED COURSE DESCRIPTION OF WRITING ABOUT CRIME

English 1005: Writing about Social Justice is designed to engage students intellectually and imaginatively while developing their writing skills, as they consider various aspects of rhetoric, writing, and social justice through the medium of nonfiction writing and reading.

FLORIDA DOE COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

ENG 1005 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.3, 2.5, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4. 5.1, 5.2,

GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Effective Communication: Category A: Effective Written Communication Skills Development

• Students will demonstrate the ability to identify and apply multiple approaches to the study of language, usage, grammar, diction and style of standard written English by studying relevant selections in the course grammar guide, by writing and revising numerous essays, and by getting and receiving peer and instructor feedback.

• Students will demonstrate knowledge of grammar and punctuation, including pronoun case and pronoun antecedent agreement; verbs (forms, tenses, moods, voice, subject-verb agreement); adjectives and adverbs; avoidance of common sentence flaws (sentence fragments, comma splices, fused sentences, shifts, and dangling modifiers); diction and word choice.

• Students will demonstrate mastery of elements of good writing, including paragraphing; composing essays; prewriting, outlining, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading; organizing ideas around a thesis or theme and using current writing technologies.

• Students will compose and revise documents totaling at least 3,000 words in assignments that get specific feedback from the instructor.

COURSE-SPECIFIC STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Students will demonstrate a more nuanced understanding of the rhetorical nature of crime and punishment in the United States.

• Students will demonstrate an increased awareness of the elements of superior non-fiction writing and will demonstrate the ability to approach their own written projects strategically and creatively.

• Students will compose, revise, and polish a digital writing portfolio, which will showcase a significant body of work across various writing forms, as well as digital skills.

SUGGESTED ENGAGED LEARNING ACTIVITIES

The course includes frequent engaged learning activities and assignments, including in-class small group discussion of selected readings; full-class discussion of readings; writing concepts and grammar exercises; small group peer feedback on drafts of various writing assignments; thoughtful essays—from a personal narrative to an argumentative essay—and informative and persuasive oral presentations. These projects are approached through the “lens” of social justice in America, a topic that is rich in cultural, linguistic, and rhetorical opportunity.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM

This course will require students to develop a digital writing portfolio using a free, online platform called WordPress. Students will also use a secure plagiarism detection system called TurnitIn to post and comment on student work. This work is then posted to their blog, which is accessorized with various forms of digital media including audio and video clips.

Almost all work assigned in class happens with the aid of technology. Therefore, it is imperative that if students have an Internet-accessible laptop, they bring it to class every class.

I am happy to organize additional accommodations for students without laptop access and for students with disabilities, but it is the responsibility of the student to bring to my attention such issues.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Florida Southern College does not have individualized or special programs for students with learning disabilities; however, reasonable accommodations may be requested in this course by students who have documentation of a disability on file in the PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING OFFICE located in the Thrift Building (Main Floor) 863-680-4196. “It is the responsibility of the student to make his or her condition known to the college, to take the initiative in requesting desired appropriate accommodations, and to have the pertinent diagnostic tests or the other professional evaluations to verify the need for academic accommodations.” A release statement signed by the student is require each semester before documentation and requested accommodations can be shared with a student’s instructors. It is te student’s responsibility to meet with the instructor to determine which of the requested accommodations can be made in each class. For more information on how to apply for accommodations, please contact Dr. Richard Burnette, Psychological Testing Office, in person or online at . If there are concerns about accommodations decisions, students may request a review by contacting FSC Disability Compliance Officer Dr. Marcie Pospichal, Associate Vice President for Student Support, Thrift Building (Main Floor), mpospichal@flsouthern.edu (863) 680-4197.

STATEMENT ON THE HONOR CODE

As a student at Florida Southern, you are expected to “practice academic and personal integrity and excellence of character and expect the same from others.” I take plagiarism in all forms extremely seriously. If you don’t believe me, ask former students. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.

ATTENDANCE POLICY

Learning to be punctual is part of your job as an adult who negotiating the rules and expectations of the working world. Don’t be late—with your work or for class. I will take attendance at 9.55 every morning. You will be marked tardy if you’re late. Three unexcused “tardies” equal one absence. Three unexcused absences will result in your immediate drop from the class. This is non-negotiable.

I expect you to make each class, but in the event you can’t make it to class due to illness, a family crisis or other legitimate reason, please let me know—ahead of time, by text, if possible. All excused absences must be accompanied by a note.

Get with other students about work missed. There’s no make up work policy, per se. If you miss on a day where you were expected to deliver a speech or paper, the expectation stands. You must reschedule before class if you have to miss on a presentation day if you don’t want a ‘0’. I will not accept late work. Period.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Corbitt, Edward P.J. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student. Oxford University Press. 4th edition. 562 pages. Print.

Amazon link:

Any additional assigned readings for this class will come from a series of digital files I have converted to PDFs or links I’ve loaded to our course website.

That means you need to check the website every week for reading material, as material is subject to change based on class flow. Our course website can be accessed here:

ASSIGNMENTS

You will turn in a series of essays that cover various forms of writing including the personal narrative, summary-response, argumentative, and definition. Additionally, you will present twice. Your first speech will be an informative speech where you will educate your audience about the topic you’ve selected to research. Your final presentation will be a group presentation. Your group will be asked to come up with a social justice challenge, form a collective opinion and execute a plan of action to raise awareness. The presentation should be a multi-media presentation. You will also submit a portfolio review at the end of the semester as a final writing assignment, and you will take a timed writing exam.

I will not accept late work for unexcused absences. Period. You will have one week from the original due date to turn in your work. When I sit down to grade, I’ll grade whatever is turned into the system. If your work isn’t there and I have to “hunt” for it, you’ll be docked one letter grade.

Rhetoric Reviews

Part of my job as your writing instructor is to expose you to content from which you can draw as you think about your values and beliefs across key social issues. Part of how I do that is by incentivizing you to read about what’s going on in the world at large, as well as your smaller worlds on campus. Each week, one or two students will present a rhetoric review—a 15-20 minute facilitation and discussion of key current social events and the key pieces of rhetoric inherent in the various pieces under review. For a complete explanation and assignment sheet, see the website and click the page called “Rhetoric Reviews.”

YOUR DIGITAL WRITING PORTFOLIO

We’re going to write in this class—a lot. Some of the writing we’re going to do in class together, but much of the writing will be done on your own or in small groups, and all of your writing will be posted to your digital writing portfolio—a WordPress blog—or a submitted to TurnitIn. I’m going to walk you through how to create this blog the first week of class—so fear not. However, technology will play a large role in this class and I can’t help those who don’t ask, so please let me know in advance if you struggle with technology and need extra support.

Your essays will each focus on achieving a similar objective: to tell a clear, coherent and defensible story based on a certain essay form (e.g. narrative vs. argumentative). The general “lens” through which we will approach the various writing forms is social justice, which usually starts with a crime. That leaves you a wide berth to select subtopics within the social justice genre about which to write. All topics must be approved before you begin to write or present. While there are no “off limits” topics, some will not lend themselves to certain forms of writing as well as to others, so it’s important to talk with me about your topic before you jump headlong into the writing process.

Each of your essays should be between 1000 - 1200 words, neatly typed, double spaced, and formatted per MLA guidelines. All assignments should be uploaded to TurnitIn. The final draft of your assignment will be both uploaded to TurnitIn and to your blog.

Somewhat shorter than your essays, you are also required to post one or two peer reviews, short 250-500 word read/respond pieces that offer your peers feedback on either an outline or a draft paper. We will determine in class the criteria for these peer review blog posts.

FINAL EXAM ESSAY

You will be given a single topic about which to write an 800-1000 word essay, to be completed during the duration of the final exam period (two hours).

GRADED DRAFT ESSAYS

Because writing is a process, you will be given two and sometimes three opportunities to revise your work based on peer and/or instructor feedback. Drafts will be graded. To markedly improve your grade then, you will not only need to make suggested revisions to grammar, but also to content, organization and style, should such suggestions be recommended.

ORAL PRESENTATION + GROUP PRESENTATION

Two times during the semester, you will deliver an oral presentation to the class in addition to your Rhetoric Review. Both presentations will have an assignment sheet and rubric attached to them but I will be grading your on content, delivery, and style, just as I would in your writing. I will also look for persuasiveness and creative use of multi-media.

READINGS

Be sure to read each week’s assigned readings before you get to class so you can meaningfully contribute to class discussion.

CLASS PARTICIPATION

The very best writing classes are those in which most of the students regularly and voluntarily participate in class and small-group discussion. Everybody—from the most shy to the most outgoing—is expected to contribute to a healthy class environment that encourages open inquiry, debate, and good-natured ribbing. However, I do not offer a participation grade. You’re adults. You chose to attend college. It’s expected that you would participate. You shouldn’t be rewarded for simply showing up. That said, I reserve the right to award extra points to those students who demonstrate exemplary participation in class, assignments, or on field trips. For some last semester, this meant the difference in a letter grade.

PEER FEEDBACK

Significant class time and out of class time for each of the writing assignments will be devoted to a close examination of your peers’ outline or rough draft. Each of you will be expected to offer thoughtful, specific, and helpful responses to your mates’ work. We will review in class the elements of good peer feedback.

CONFERENCES

I am available to meet with you one-on-one at any scheduled time, and am quite happy to do so. If you’re struggling, please ask for help early and often. There are other on-campus resources available to you as well like the library’s writing center. If I know you’re having a problem, I can help you negotiate the various resources available to you. If I don’t know you’re having a problem, I can’t help you. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL final grades are submitted to tell me you needed helps three weeks ago.

GRADING SCALE

Drafts of Essays 20%

Final Essays 35%

Speech/Presentation 10%

Social Action Project 10%

Rhetoric Review 10%

Final Exam + Portfolio Submission/Reflection 10%

Evaluations 05%

A 94-100

B 84-93

C 74-83.99

D 64-73.99

F below 63.99

PS: There is NO EXTRA CREDIT OFFERED

CLASS SCHEDULE

Please see our course website for a very detailed schedule.

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