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.