Writing 101 Reminders and Announcements

Friday's Assignment:

You must come to class on Friday or it counts as an absence. You may turn in your assignment during class or to the box outside my door by 5pm.

Regardless of if your turning your portfolio in during class or not, you need to bring one paragraph from any of the assignments that you are the most proud of to read during class. This is a chance to celebrate your best work. I'm privileged to see everything that you do in this class and you should be as proud of the progress you are making as I am. This is also a chance to contribute to our class community and share something you are proud of with your classmates.

Introduction Letter:

You need to quote at least one of your assignments and you do need to include reflections on all three of the major assignments. One way you could do this is to talk about an invention strategy you used and explain which assignments (LifePlace, Op-Ed, or PAA) it worked with or didn't work with and what you took away from it. Also, everything you mention in your Introduction Letter must be included in your Portfolio.

Rules to Remember:

Cite everything you use that is not your own.

Never start or end a paragraph with a quote.

Do not introduce new information in your conclusion.

Make sure everything is cited in proper MLA format.

When using a quote always explain where it came from and the title of the source (italicized if it is from a book or in quotation marks if it is from an article).

Don't panic alone! If you need help, ask for it.

Final Portfolio:

This is due in a box I will place outside my office (Corbin Hall, Room 254) by 5pm. Everyday this is late drops the whole grade down by one letter. This means if your portfolio is an A on Friday it will be a D on Monday and you will not pass this class. It is your responsibility to get it to me over the weekend if it is late, and this will not be easy for either of us, trust me.

You need to include everything on the checklist and the Introduction Letter rough draft/peer review sheet, the substantially revised essay and peer review sheet, and the handout you are filling out with all of my comments and which assignments you are substantially revising and why.

All hard copies for your portfolio must be in a binder (a skinny plastic one is fine if it all fits), all pages must be numbered on the bottom right or top left hand corner, and the pages must correspond with your table of contents.

If you are turning in an Electronic Portfolio it must be on one file (either a PDF or powerpoint).

Finals:

Your finals slot is in my office (Corbin Hall, Room 254) Monday 8-10am. You will be getting your portfolio and grade back during this time. You can come at anytime during this slot, but if you want to talk about your grade or portfolio I suggest your show up early. If you cannot make this time for whatever reason let me know ahead of time.

Last Extra Credit Opportunity

Extra Credit

Assignment:

Write a concise 1-2 page double-spaced argument on the following prompt:

Should Writ 101's theme be "Place" or "Sustainability". I want you to compare the first page of your syllabus, focused on "place" with the one from last year, which is pasted below. I will grade this the same way I graded your Op-Ed assignment. You have to have ethos, logos, and pathos theatrical appeals, and avoid logical fallacies. You do not have to research or a works cited page, but you do need a paragraph reflecting on your argument after the essay (think of this as a post write). What worked or didn't work? Evaluate your writing in this essay and pay attention to your introduction, body paragraphs, organization, transitions, and conclusion.

Credit:

This will either count as 2 HW assignments or 2 days of participation. You may not do this assignment if you have already received extra credit from the last opportunity.

Due:

This must be e-mailed to me by Sunday at 7pm.

WRIT 101: Composition and Sustainability

Here, at the University of Montana, the composition program takes sustainability as a big idea to inquire into in WRIT 101. 
Perhaps the most common definition of sustainability is simply “meeting today’s needs without jeopardizing the well-being of future generations” (Owens 1). It encompasses a range of economic, environmental, and social issues. We’ll be exploring concepts of sustainability as a means of learning how to engage in inquiry as college writers and researchers, but also with the hope that you’ll begin to consider how sustainability figures into your evolving worldview.

WRIT 101 focuses on sustainability for a couple of reasons: first, we quite simply care about the environment and human rights but recognize that the enormity of such problems as global warming or banishing racism might seem too daunting for individuals and communities to change. People don’t necessarily feel they have the power, the wherewithal, or the agency to change the world. Yet we believe that thoughtful, committed individuals can make a difference, and this belief leads us to our second point. Learning to write in college is a means of further educating you to be engaged readers and writers, continuing on your path of becoming active, agile, and reflective learners. Learning to write in college often means considering where you stand in relationship to others’ beliefs, learning to work collaboratively and productively with others, and learning to critically engage new ideas and practices. These skills and habits of mind are vital for college researchers and writers as well as citizens in our world. 




We’ll explore sustainability in our writing assignments and readings as you develop your abilities to think, read, and write rhetorically to better communicate in the world. You’ll inquire into different personal, academic, and civic contexts and read, analyze, and compose in different genres. You’ll also further develop flexible reading, writing, and research processes to help you develop as an academic and civic participant. Much of your work will involve different kinds of collaboration, including small group workshops and discussions that will take place in class, in conference, and in electronic forums.


Extra Credit

Thursday October 27th UM is hosting a Day of Dialogue. If you attend one event, two at the most, and complete two separate assignments for each I will give you extra credit that will be equivalent to two homework assignments OR two days worth of participation for one event or double that for two.

Assignment One:

Write a one page essay style response that includes which event you saw, how it engages in civil discourse, or not, and what elements from our Op-Ed unit you noticed and whether or not it counts as an effective argument that engages in argument as dance. What was the presentation about? How did you react to it? Did they use rhetorical devices? Did they idenitfy or use logical fallacies?

Assignment Two:

Write a one page proposal for a presentation or activity you would do for the Day of Dialogue event. What would it be on? How would you structure it? What point would you be making? Why do you think people would like/need to hear it? Use ideas taken from class on logical fallacies, civilized discourse, using research, and addressing a certain audience, or anything else from this unit you would like to use. You could even cite specific books, youtube clips, powerpoint presentations, music, or art you would incorporate to prove your point. You could be as creativity, or not, as you wish.

This is due Friday November 4th at 12:10. If you need this extra credit to apply to something else you are missing or lacking in this class come talk to me. Also, you need to let me know if you are interested in this. I have pasted the website to the Day of Dialogue homepage below.

http://life.umt.edu/dod/default.php

Homework Due During Conferences

1. Bring TWO copies of a full rough draft 700-1,000 words with a works cited page (or your laptop) to conferences

2. Bring your devil's advocate freewrite from Monday and peer review sheet that your partner filled out for you. If you already e-mailed both that's fine too.

3. Read CW 275-280

Op-Ed Sketch Breakdown List

The Sketch: A Breakdown List

General Checklist:

Your Sketch must have your name, my name, class name, and the date it is due typed in the top corner. You must have a title and a works cited. Include the Works Cited at the bottom of the Sketch, not on a separate page. I want it typed and between 500-600 words. Single or double spacing does not matter. This is due Monday bring two copies typed and printed out or e-mailed to me and yourself for class workshops.

Title:

Make your title your tentative claim about your topic (also known as the “I think this is what my point is so far…” claim). I want see the question that is guiding your search, you should have numerous questions about your topic, but I want to see the central question you are interested in. What issue are you investigating? Examples:

Mine: Does the Smoking Ban Discriminate Against Smokers?

Ballenger’s: “How to Really Rock the Vote”

Handout: “Should Rifle Suppressor's Be Allowed in Hunting?”

Major Components:

Claim: What is the major point of your op-ed so far? Ex: Smoking ban should be lifted? I need to see your topic right in the opening of your Sketch. What questions are you trying to answer? Later in the Sketch I will see you answer your questions.

Intro=Major Question

Body Paragraphs=Evidence/Background Information/Minor Questions and Answers

Conclusion=Your Answer to the Major Question

Supporting Elements:

The main components that your final op-ed will include are: claims, evidence, warrants, backing, counterclaims, and a rebuttal (CW 249-250 and OWL Purdue Handout). These ideas will not be fully developed in your sketch but you should be working towards them after conferences. See next page for details.

Side Note: If this seems like a lot of things to cover don’t let it overwhelm you. Look at CW 274 for an example of what a Sketch looks like and how someone else incorporated all of these ideas. Ballenger reminds you that “A sketch is often sketchy. It’s generally undeveloped, sometimes giving the writer just the barest outline of his subject” when he is describing the rules for this assignment (CW 274). This is an early draft to your op-ed assignment it should be extra drafty. That being said I want you to include most of these elements in it. Do your best and we will work on polishing it on Monday.

Why is this Sketch Important?

This Sketch will help you flesh out your topic for your op-ed. By doing this assignment you are doing invention work for how you want to share your opinion about the topic you have chosen for the op-ed with others. I want to see that you have enough sources, claims, and ideas to support your claim. This is an excellent place to realize that there might be issues with the topic you have chosen. The goal is to get everyone headed towards a rough draft for their op-ed’s, but if you are experiencing problems don’t panic now is the time to find a more suitable topic.

Homework Due Monday 10/03

Hello Class!

For your homework you need to complete the following:

1. Read: EW in the Portfolio Keeping Tab Pg. 18-22 and 32-39

2. Type: Taking Stock #8 in EW Pg.39. Make it at least a paragraph and bring to class on Monday (either print it out or e-mail it to me)

3. Read the sample Reflection Essay passed out in class. Be prepared to answer the following questions in class: How well does this essay fit the assignment? What does the author do well and what can the author improve on? What specific information is given to the reader? Can you follow what the author is saying without having met this person or having read their essays?

PAA Rules to Remember

After reviewing your drafts I have created a list of rules I want to see you follow in your essays.

1. Any borrowed information (quotes, dates, statistics, or general information you had to look up) must be followed by in-text citations.

2. Quotes NEVER start or end a paragraph.

3. Quotes over 3 lines long are considered block quotes and must be cited in MLA format.

4. You have to transition from one paragraph to the next, if you don't your papers will not flow properly no matter how much sense your organization makes.

5. Everything must be written in proper MLA format (use EW MLA tab or OWL Purdue Website to check it).

6. Your essay is due Friday at 12:10, no exceptions.

7. Don't panic alone! If you are struggling take a deep breath and e-mail me, but for goodness sake don't do it an hour before class and expect me to help you.