Syllabus, Schedule, Rationale Writing

Composition I: Media, Discourse, Rhetoric

ENGL1101-G / 09:30am-10:45am / TR / Gamble 225 ENGL1101-GG / 11:00am-12:15pm / TR / Gamble 225 ENGL1101-HH / 02:00pm-03:15pm / TR / Gamble 223

OVERVIEW

Instructor information Chris Cartright, MFA (he/him) [email protected] Lecturer of English Department of Writing & Linguistics Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus Gamble Hall 208

Welcome Hello and welcome to our class! You can call me “Chris” or “Mr. Cartright” if you prefer. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions this semester.

Email, virtual office appointments I’m available via email throughout the week and do my best to respond as soon as possible between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday. I try not to send or respond to emails over the weekends.

I’m available for office appointments between 11am and 1pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. If those times don’t work for you, let me know, and I’ll do my best to work with your schedule.

I prefer to meet virtually using Zoom, and I ask that you wear a mask if we meet in my office. If you’re looking for the link to my virtual office, please click here.

Catalog description & student learning outcomes This course introduces students to the conventions of academic and professional writing through the rhetorical practices of reading and composing texts. Students will use critical thinking and information literacy skills to develop texts through the processes of writing, revision, and reflection. Students must complete the course with a “C” average or better to earn credit.

At the completion of ENGL1101, students will be able to: ○ Develop flexible composing strategies to achieve a defined purpose for writing; ○ Compose texts to develop ideas in relation to a range of sources; ○ Respond to various rhetorical situations through practicing genre conventions

appropriate to the audience, purpose, and context of reading and writing; and ○ Analyze how textual features, context, and purpose shape a text’s message.

Course description Composition I is the first of a two-course series designed to develop your critical thinking, academic research, and professional communication skills.

This course will study three major concepts: media, discourse, and rhetoric. Media refers to the variety of texts that humans create to communicate. Discourse (or discourses) refers to the conversations that we have about different topics. Rhetoric refers to the strategies people use to communicate effectively.

Our goal is to study texts (different media compositions) and create our own texts (our own essays and creative compositions). Doing so will develop our ability to navigate media, understand discourse, and employ rhetoric. Put another way, studying composition will help us think, read, and write better.

Workload A standard college course represents about 3 hours of class time. Colleges recommend that undergraduates spend at least 9 hours on homework for every 3-credit class.

It is my recommendation that students devote around 10 hours per week to this class. If you’re devoting that much time without seeing an improvement in your grades, let’s talk.

Required resources ● A computer. To complete our weekly and major assignments, you will need a device with a

stable internet connection and the ability to have multiple tabs open, to download and annotate documents, and to draft and revise long passages of text. I recommend a physical keyboard rather than a touchscreen when possible.

● Writing materials. To participate in class, you must have the ability to write during class and to collect your writings throughout the semester. Physical notebooks, smartphones, tablets, or laptops are all fine. Always bring your drafts to class when we’re working on a major assignment.

● There is no textbook. You are not required to spend any money on course materials.

Recommended resources ● A smart device. Sometimes, we’ll conduct research in class, so it helps to bring a

smartphone or other internet-connected device if you can. Tablets and laptops may be available to borrow from the Library and the Learning Commons. Please let me know if you won’t be able to access the internet during class.

Tips for success in this course ● Come to class as much as possible. This is the best way to ensure that you understand

our concepts, resources, and assignments. ● Keep up when you miss class. If you have to miss, use the online materials to complete

weekly activities and major assignments. I can help you keep up through email and virtual office appointments.

● Stay healthy. Wash your hands, wear a mask, and maintain social distancing. Don’t come to class if you’re sick, are waiting for a result, or have been advised to quarantine. Notify CARES or the Office of the Dean of Students if a situation arises that causes you to miss classes or assignments.

● Communicate with me. Email me for advice on upcoming assignments; schedule an office visit for detailed feedback on your work; reach out when you’re falling behind or have to miss class.

● Make a realistic homework schedule. As much as possible, do this work in increments throughout the week rather than all at once. Plan ahead; don’t wait for the last minute.

● Create a focused work space. Find a computer, set up a desk, organize your school bag, organize the folders on your device. Find your spot in a library, a learning commons, a cafe, or a bar. Make it easy to get in the zone when it’s time to read and write.

● Think for yourself. This class will ask you to select your own research topics and make your own arguments. You must choose what to write about; you must decide what you think.

Syllabus policy This syllabus contains an overview of the course, our calendar & due dates, information on grades, assignments, and course policies. I reserve the right to update our calendar, assignments, and policies throughout the semester to adjust to any issues that come up this semester.

After the first week of classes, I expect that you have read through this document and understand our course policies. In the interest of time, I will respond to questions answered in the syllabus by directing you to read the appropriate section of this document.

I will update this document throughout the semester, so I don’t recommend printing it out. For easier navigation, I recommend opening the document outline by going to View > Show document outline. You can also bookmark this page or “star” this document in Drive for easier access.

CALENDAR & DUE DATES

I will update and adjust the calendar over the course of the semester. If I change any due dates, I’ll announce it on Folio well in advance. Full instructions for each week’s activities will be posted on Folio at the start of each week.

COMPOSITION I

Week 01 Monday, 1/10

Introduce the course Introduce ourselves

Week 02 Monday, 1/17

Introduce the personal narrative essay Study media and genres Monday, Jan. 17: MLK Day

Week 03 Monday, 1/24

Study discourse and ideology

Week 04 Monday, 1/31

Study rhetoric (basic)

Week 05 Monday, 2/07

Develop personal narrative essays

Week 06 Monday, 2/14

CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP WEEK. NO CLASS TUESDAY OR THURSDAY. Submit the personal narrative essay by Sunday, Feb. 20.

Week 07 Monday, 2/21

Introduce research report Study information literacy

Week 08 Monday, 2/28

Practice academic research

Week 09 Monday,

Practice academic research Develop research reports

3/07

Monday, 3/14 SPRING BREAK

Week 10 Monday, 3/21

Develop research reports

Week 11 Monday, 3/28

CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP WEEK. NO CLASS TUESDAY OR THURSDAY. Submit the research report by Sunday, Apr. 3.

Week 12 Monday, 4/04

Introduce rhetorical analysis essay Introduce APA formatting

Week 13 Monday, 4/11

Practice rhetorical analysis Develop rhetorical analysis essays

Week 14 Monday, 4/18

Practice rhetorical analysis Develop rhetorical analysis essays

Week 15 Monday, 4/25

CONFERENCE & WORKSHOP WEEK. NO CLASS TUESDAY OR THURSDAY.

Week 16 Monday, 5/02

NO CLASSES DURING FINALS WEEK. THERE IS NO FINAL EXAM IN THIS CLASS. Submit rhetorical analysis & reflective cover letter by Monday, May 2nd.

ATTENDANCE

This is a face-to-face class. The bulk of instruction will occur in class, and I will monitor attendance. I will not stream or record class sessions. I recommend that students plan to attend every session.

However, in order to accommodate illness and quarantine due to the pandemic, you will not be penalized for missing class if you are sick. There are no points for attendance. If you can’t attend class, you should continue participating using the online modules and access additional support through email or virtual office appointments.

If you have an illness or other issue that is impacting your ability to attend class, please contact CARES, the Office of the Dean of Students, or the Student Accessibility Resource Center.

Policies The following policies are designed to ensure that class periods remain safe and productive:

1. Students should not attend class if they are sick. 2. Students should arrive on time and remain until I dismiss class. 3. Students should arrive prepared and remain on task until I dismiss class. 4. Students should follow my instructions and work on our assignments during class. 5. Students should not engage in distracting behaviors or unrelated activities during class. 6. Students should remove headphones, silence their devices, and only use technology for class

activities. 7. Students should avoid bringing food or strong-smelling items into the classroom. Please

keep a secure lid on any drinks you bring to class.

If a student violates these policies, I will discuss the issue with them. If a student continues to violate these policies, I will ask them to leave, then contact the Office of the Dean of Students.

If I ask you to leave, you may not return to our class until we have met with the Dean of Students.

ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

20pts: Weekly activities & extra credit opportunities Each week, you will complete an activity on Folio worth 2 points. Incomplete or incorrect submissions will earn partial credit (1 point). There are 30 points available, but only 20 are required for full credit. Therefore, any points earned above 20 will count as extra credit.

25pts: Personal narrative essay A personal narrative is an essay that discusses the writer’s experiences and observations regarding a particular topic.

25pts: Research report & reflective cover letter A research report is an informative, evidence-based essay about a given topic. The reflection should discuss the steps you took and challenges you faced in producing the research report.

30pts: Rhetorical analysis & reflective cover letter A rhetorical analysis essay is an analysis of the rhetorical elements of a specific text or texts. The reflection should explain how you applied course concepts to complete this essay.

Detailed assignment instructions will be provided through Folio when each assignment is introduced (see calendar).

Late work Assignments are due on the date stated on the course calendar. You may submit weekly assignments or major assignments late for partial credit any time before the last day of classes.

If you have an illness or other issue that is impacting your ability to complete assignments, please contact the Student Accessibility Resource Center, CARES, or the Office of the Dean of Students. Please note that I will not provide deadline extensions or other learning accommodations without official recommendations from the relevant university office.

Final grades Final grades at Georgia Southern are entered as letters. There are no plus or minus grades. Point grades are converted to letter grades as follows: F: 00-59 percent; D: 60-69; C: 70-79; B: 80-89; and A: 90-100.

At the end of the semester, I will round 9s up to the next letter grade (ex: 69 = C). If you have any questions about grades this semester, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Major assignment instructions ● Please submit major assignments to the appropriate dropbox by going to our course Folio

page > Assessments > Dropbox. Please submit assignments as a .DOC, .DOCX, or .PDF file type.

● Submit the assignment by the date listed on the course calendar to be eligible for a passing grade. If you miss the deadline, submit the assignment late for partial credit.

● Don’t plagiarize. Always indicate when you’re using a direct quote from a source. Always indicate the sources of your information.

● Meet the minimum length requirement. Essays under the minimum word count will earn a failing grade.

● Use the best available information. Employ the library research strategies we’ll learn in class; rely on scholarly articles and the most credible sources we can access.

● Think critically about the assignment and make it your own. The assignment prompts are intentionally open-ended so that students can decide on their specific focus.

● Communicate with me regularly about your assignment to make sure you’re on the right track.

POLICIES Academic integrity This course will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. I am required to report any instance of potential plagiarism to the Office of Student Conduct. According to GSU’s Code of Student Conduct, Plagiarism is the offering of the words, ideas, computer data programs, or graphics of others as one’s own in any academic exercise. Examples of plagiarism include (but are not limited to):

● The offering of another’s work, whether verbatim or paraphrased, as original material without identifying the source(s) in an academic paper.

● Directly quoting the words of others without using quotation marks or indented format to identify them.

● Self-plagiarism: re-submitting work previously submitted without appropriate or accurate citation or credit and/or without explicit approval from the instructor.

● Use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials.

It is your responsibility to know and adhere to the Code of Student Conduct. Please note that our Folio assignment dropbox contains an originality-verification software capable of detecting intentional and unintentional plagiarism.

Accessibility and accommodations The Student Accessibility Resource Center is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all qualified students with disabilities. To request accommodations for a disability, please register with the Student Accessibility Resources Center on the second floor of Memorial College Center (Armstrong), the second floor of Cone Hall (Statesboro) or contact the Center at [email protected]. Armstrong Campus Phone: 912-344-2572. Statesboro Campus Phone: 912-478-1566.

Administration of this class This class is offered through the Department of Writing and Linguistics. If you have questions regarding ENGL 1101 or ENGL 1102, please contact Dr. Annie Mendenhall (Armstrong and Liberty First Year Writing Coordinator) or Dr. Russell Willerton (Department Chair).

Continuity of instruction I will maintain continuity of instruction by keeping all of our course materials and assignments updated on Folio. In the event that we need to cancel class, we will be able to continue our work online. Students who miss class due to illness can also complete assignments online and meet with me during virtual office hours.

Civility Our class is a safe space. Everyone—regardless of ethnic, gender, sexual, or other identity—will be treated with respect. You will likely hear perspectives that offend you, but I want to ensure that my

students don’t feel threatened or disrespected in our class. I will not tolerate disruptive, discriminatory, or harassing behavior in any aspect of our class.

Communication policy You are responsible for checking Folio and your student email account regularly during the school week. Because college is a professional setting, our emails should reflect this fact. Make sure your messages have a clear subject line. Use full sentences and correct punctuation. I encourage you to take the time to learn and apply basic email etiquette.

Constructive conversations This class requires consistent discussion in order for us to practice our thinking, research, and communication skills. It might sound counterintuitive, but I am going to encourage us to argue with each other this semester.

Our goal is not to “win” these arguments. Rather, we should argue in order to learn. By expressing our opinions, sharing evidence, and reasoning together, we learn how to think more critically. By discussing controversial and uncomfortable topics, we learn about other perspectives, and we develop our own.

I’ve included the following recommendations to help us have more constructive conversations. Let me know how you think we can foster an open space for evidence-based discussions.

● Critique ideas, not people. ● Read closely and take notes. ● Listen actively and attentively. ● Ask for clarification when confused. ● Take ownership of your own learning. ● Offer supporting evidence for your claims. ● Challenge one another, but do so respectfully. ● Take responsibility for the quality of the discussion. ● When discussing a text, always have it in front of you. ● Distinguish between personal experience and empirical evidence. ● Don’t be afraid to reconsider your stance in light of new evidence. ● Try not to over-generalize from your experiences or speak for others. ● Make room for other speakers in the conversation; know when to listen. ● Build on other people’s comments and work towards shared understanding. ● If anything said during the discussion offends you, acknowledge it immediately. ● Always consider your audience; make room for other experiences and perspectives. ● When discussing a topic, start with what we know, then find out what we don’t know.

Content notice The content of this class will engage with controversial and sensitive topics. Our discussions will address real issues that affect members of our class. Let’s be sensitive to each others’ experiences. Please let me know if you find any reading or discussion particularly upsetting.

Credible sources of information There is a lot of misinformation on the internet. We will rely on credible journalism and scholarship as our basis of evidence. As much as possible, let’s try to start with empirical evidence, what has been observed and documented using scientific methods. Then, we should look for analysis from professionals and scholars.

Whenever I ask you to conduct research or share information in your classwork, make sure it’s from a reliable source. Be careful not to confuse opinion articles with actual reporting. If you have any questions about a source, please don’t hesitate to ask.

And remember, even “bad” sources can yield important insights. Let’s stay critical and try not to write any perspectives off too quickly, even if they aren’t “credible” by academic standards. Always consider why someone is making an argument, even if you think it’s wrong.

Here is a list of sources that I believe are credible and accessible for college students. Let me know what sources you would add to this list.

Newspapers and Magazines Academic databases

● Reuters ● The Associated Press ● The BBC ● The Guardian ● The Atlantic ● The New York Times ● The Washington Post ● The Wall Street Journal ● The Atlanta Journal Constitution ● USA Today ● Miami Herald ● LA Times

● Credo Reference ● Discover Search ● JSTOR ● Project Muse ● ProQuest

Access these databases through the university library.

Feedback I strive to provide effective feedback as efficiently as possible. In my experience, individualized written feedback isn’t the most effective or most efficient way to help students. Therefore, I will only provide feedback on activities and assignments during one-on-one meetings. I will not provide written feedback on graded assignments, nor will I read drafts over email.

Instead, I ask that you schedule virtual or face-to-face meetings during my regular office hours throughout the semester. I will provide additional opportunities for meetings in the lead up to major assignments by scheduling office hours during class time. I’m happy to meet with you for up to 30 minutes at a time, multiple times throughout the semester, to help you with your assignments.

I plan to grade weekly activities within 1 week and major assignments within 2 weeks of the due date.

FERPA According to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), your academic performance is private information. Therefore, I will not discuss your grades with anyone other than you. If you would like me to share this information with anyone else, you will need to complete the appropriate documentation with the university.

Plagiarism verification I use Turnitin, an originality-verification software, to check assignments submitted to the dropbox for plagiarism. When you submit your assignments, you will see a percentage indicating what degree of your assignment matches content found online or submitted through the same software. Any matching content in your assignments should be clearly quoted and attributed to the appropriate source.

Privacy policy Be advised that our communication on Folio and through email is recorded and may be monitored. I will do my best to keep our class discussions and assignments confidential in accordance with state and federal law.

Let’s strive to be conscientious about our own privacy and respectful of the privacy of others. You do not need to share information that you would rather keep private. Keep your communications with your peers professional and avoid asking personal or sensitive questions. Unless a person has invited you to do so, avoid contacting members of your class outside of the class setting. If someone asks you to stop communicating with them, respect their request.

Use your best judgement, and please let me know if you have any concerns about privacy or communications in this class.

Reporting illness Georgia Southern University wants you to take appropriate precautions for your health as well as the well-being of your classmates. If you need to self-report either a confirmed or suspected positive COVID-19 diagnosis, have received self-quarantine requirements, or have symptoms with pending test results, please complete the CARES Center COVID-19 self-reporting form (through the MyGeorgiaSouthern portal under “COVID-19 Information & Resources”). You may also reach the CARES Center by using the MyGS mobile app, calling 912-478-CARE (M-F 8am-5pm), or emailing [email protected]. The CARES Center should not be used for medical advice. If you need medical advice, contact your health provider; call 911 only in emergencies.

Respect for diversity It is my intent that students from diverse backgrounds and perspectives feel respected and served by this course. I hope to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, culture, perspective, and other background characteristics. Your suggestions about how to improve the value of diversity in this course are encouraged and appreciated.

Student success GSU has many services available to you for free or at reduced cost. In particular, I encourage you to take advantage of the Academic Success Center, the Library, and the Writing Center for coaching, tutoring, and help with our assignments.

*