English 100

Fall 2008

Susan Spangler

Office:  266 Fenton		Ph. D.,  Illinois State University
Phone: 673-3862		M.A.,  University of Illinois at Springfield
Email: susan.spangler@fredonia.edu		B. S. English Education, Illinois State University
Welcome to English 100.  According to the Undergraduate Catalogue, this course is “a student-centered writing-workshop course in which students understand and practice various stages of the writing process….”   This means that we will be doing a lot of writing, reading, talking, collaborating, and thinking, all of which will lead to authentic documents for public consumption.  This course will emphasize a rhetorical approach to writing and use a writing workshop pedagogy, which entails mini-lessons and frequent conferencing on your writing progress.
Website:  <http://www.fredonia.edu/faculty/english/spangler/100.html>.  Check this for current information about the assignments and schedule.
Class Web Board: www.nicenet.org  Class Key:  Use the class key to add yourself to the roster.  Go to the Nicenet URL to join the class.  Be sure to enter a name and e-mail address.  You will use this web board to post your reading responses, check the schedule, and more.
Office hours: In person:       M/W 6:00-6:30 p.m.; T 3-4:30 p.m.; R 3:00-6:00 p.m.  Please call or email for                                     an appointment if you are unable to meet during this time.             Virtual:            SusanSpangler1 (AOL Instant Messenger), pretty much anytime my computer is on and I’m available to chat.
Required Texts and Materials: Your FSU email account. Internet access outside of class. Money in your printing account. Several ways to back up material:  jump drive, home server, cyberspace Books, magazines, journals, reading materials of your choice A handbook of your choice
Course Goals and Objectives The goals of English 100 are to help students become more critically conscious writers, readers, listeners, and speakers; and help students become “better” writers. The objectives for students in English 100 are to: Understand and demonstrate the writing process; Construct logical and coherent arguments adapted to a particular audience; Demonstrate authority, point of view, and individual voice and style; Participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding; Demonstrate the ability to address diverse audiences These goals and objectives will be assessed by a portfolio rubric.
Course Requirements 1.  ENGAGEMENT WITH COURSE MATERIAL AND ACTIVITIES.  Part of your obligation to this class is to participate vigorously in the ongoing dialogue we will have about writing, whether in group activities, in individual activities, in conferences, or in class discussions.  Engagement includes sharing most of the work that you produce this semester as well as commenting on others' work.  If you don't attend class, you can't participate, so I discourage absences unless absolutely necessary, in which case you should notify me prior to your absence and meet with me afterwards.  You will have a difficult time convincing me of your engagement (one of your tasks in your portfolio) if you do not attend regularly.  Perfect attendance is expected. 2.  CLASS PORTFOLIO.  Your grade for the class will be based on the completion of a writing portfolio of five to seven papers that total a minimum of twenty finished pages, and it will be assessed by this rubric.  The portfolio will contain: · all your finished texts · all drafts of your texts · commentaries about your texts · in-class activities · other class materials Do not throw anything you do for class away.  Everything will go into your portfolio.
General Policies In the event of an emergency absence, it is your responsibility to check for any missed assignments.  See the office hours above and check with classmates or the web board for work missed.  Of course, the information you receive from these sources will be less complete than if you were actually in class.  Just avoid the whole mess and be here.  I hate grades.  There, I said it.  I try to do as little grading as possible, but I DO love reading your writing.  Basically, I'll assign a grade for your portfolio, which counts for 100% of your grade, at the end of the semester, but I’ll look at drafts of your work throughout the semester to give you feedback.  Any other time you want to talk about your progress in class, come and talk to me.  We won't necessarily talk about your grade, but we will talk about what you are learning in class. Sadly, computers don’t always work the way we want them to.  It’s an unfortunate fact of life.  You are ultimately responsible for your work, even if the computer fails.   Please avoid saying things like, “My disk broke,” “I couldn’t get online,” “I swear I e-mailed it to you” to me.  Ways to avoid computer problems include 1) printing everything, 2) backing up on disk/jump drive, at home, in cyberspace. I will expect you to act in a professional manner.   Such behavior means, among other things, always doing your best work, remaining positive in the face of adversity, showing integrity in your actions.  Acting in a professional manner also means solely taking responsibility for your actions.  While your parents may be an integral part of your personal life, they should not be part of your professional life.  That is, they may privately rejoice with you or grieve with you in your professional successes or disappointments, but they should not take an active role in discussing these events with your colleagues or supervisors.  Acting in a professional manner also means being academically honest (i.e. not plagiarizing anything).  The lines are often blurry, as we will discuss in class, but in general, when in doubt of whether or not you are plagiarizing something, either ask me or cite it. If you are having problems with the class, PLEASE see me.  That’s what learning is about, people helping people.  I would LOVE to have you visit me during my office hours.  You can be sure I will not hesitate to see you if you are having problems.   Other sources of help to consider:
The Learning Center	4th Floor Reed Library		673-3550
Disability Support Services	4th Floor Reed Library		673-3270
Counseling Center	LoGrasso Hall		673-3424
Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Support Services at 673-3270 (Voice) or 673-4763 (TTY).