A.    PARTICIPATION.  Part of your obligation to this class is to participate in the ongoing dialogue we will have about writing, whether in group activities, in individual activities, or in class discussions.  Participation includes sharing the work that you produce this semester, which is considered "public writing," as well as commenting on other writers' writing.  If you don't attend class, you can't participate, so I discourage absences unless absolutely necessary.

B.    WRITER'S JOURNAL.  Daily writing makes writing easier, and I'd like you to keep a journal in which you'll respond to class work, your own readings, your progress as a writer, responses to others' writing, and other suggested topics.  This is more informal, but strive for 15 minutes a day of quiet time for writing (yes, I know it's hard to find!).

C.    WRITING PORTFOLIO.  Your portfolio should contain the following:

• A reflective introduction.  This piece of writing should communicate both what you have learned in this course and how you would like me to read the portfolio.  More specific suggestions will come later.
•  7500 words (30, double spaced pages or 15 single spaced pages) or more of workshopped, revised text, in addition to the drafts of those texts.  How many papers you want that to be is up to you, but I'd suggest 3.
•  Responses to others' writing
•  Selections from your writers journal
•  Anything else you want to include (artwork, for example)

D.    Contribution to the class anthology.  During this semester, we will be doing activities that may inspire you to do creative writing, which this course in not intended to teach.  We will be creating a class anthology to share that writing, and you will need to contribute in one (or more) of several ways:  contributing pieces, doing artwork, organizing and editing, distribution, or other ways you think of.

A.    In the event of an emergency absence, it is your responsibility to see for any missed assignments.  See the office hours above and check with classmates or the website 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.

B.    When we workshop papers, you'll need to e-mail or somehow transmit your papers to the other students in the class at least 36 hours in advance.  This will give them enough time to run them off and write a response to share during your workshop time.  Remember that the workshops are for your benefit to get feedback on your papers, so be kind to others and help them help you do your best work. 

C.    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 at the end of the semester.  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.

D.    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, at home, in cyberspace.

E.    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:

University Center for Learning Assistance                        133 Stevenson Hall
Student Counseling Services                                            3rd floor Student Services Building
Disability Concerns                                                         350 Fell Hall

Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 438-5853 (Voice) or 438-8620 (TTY).