General Education Requirements

ENC 1102 satisfies the General Education Composition Requirement and counts 6,000 words towards the University Writing Requirement. You must earn at least a “C” to fulfill this requirement.

Course Description

This course introduces students to the principle elements of writing effectively. ENC 1101 focuses on writing rhetorical arguments, building research skills, and developing critical thinking through reading, writing, and discussion. Students will learn how to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of their own and their peers’ writing and will explore how differing conventions, styles, purposes, and audiences affect writing practices.

Course Objectives

ENC 1101 will teach students the following:

· To employ the stylistic principles necessary for writing coherent, cohesive, and clear prose.

· To understand the goals and use the methods and sources necessary of research in a variety of fields.

· To read, write, and think critically.

· To be able to evaluate and edit one another’s work constructively

· To navigate the writing process, from planning, drafting, and revising to editing and proofreading

· To shape their writing for different audiences and rhetorical contexts, adapting purpose, style, tone, and diction

Required Texts

· Lunsford, Andrea A. and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. 3^rd ed. Boston: Bedford,

2004.

· Faigley, Lester. The Brief Penguin Handbook. 2^nd ed. New York: Pearson, 2006.

Preparation

Be sure to read all assignments prior to the class meeting in which they are listed. Random pop quizzes will be given throughout the semester to insure this work is being done. Also, come prepared to discuss your thoughts on the readings, as participation will be mandatory. Be sure to jot down some notes during your reading and bring them to class. Also, please bring your book to class when you have an assigned reading for better in class discussion and in class activities.

All four major assignments must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font and double-spaced with 1.25” margins. Be sure to staple papers before submitting hard copies. We will also require that you send us digital copies of all final drafts via email; please send these as attachments. Late papers will be penalized a letter grade for every calendar day that they are late. We will not read and/or grade anything over a week (seven days) late. These papers will receive an automatic “E”.

Grading

Grading for this course will be strict. If a given assignment illustrates disregard for spelling, grammar, and citation guidelines (ie, if it demonstrates a general carelessness in the writing), the assignment will be failed.

All writing assignments must be turned in to meet the university’s writing requirement.

Point Structure

Major Essays:

Rhetorical Analysis Essay (4-5 pages) 125 points

Definition Essay (4-5 pages) 150 points

Causal Argument (4-5 pages) 175 points

Proposal (4-5 pages) 200 points

Participation Points:

In Class Essays (4-8 pages) 40 points

Peer Review 40 points

Pop Quizzes 70 points

Total: 800 points

Peer Review

Practice makes perfect. Therefore you will be required to produce at least two drafts of each major essay. For those days labeled "Peer Review Days" on the syllabus you must have a complete draft. While these drafts will be far from finished, they must meet the designated page requirement and should contain the necessary elements for any paper: an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs that provide support for that thesis, and a conclusion that revaluates the significance of the material.

The purpose of peer reviews is twofold. First, our minds tend to play tricks on us, filling in rhetorical gaps on the page. Any text will benefit from the objective criticism of a second set of eyes. Second, the act of analyzing your peer's argument, noting strengths and amending weaknesses, should ideally enhance your own rhetorical skills when both reading and writing.

Given the intended reciprocal nature of the peer review, you will not be permitted to take part if you fail to produce a completed draft and will likewise forfeit peer review points.

Attendance

ENC 1101 is a participation-oriented, skills-based writing course, which means that you will build your skills incrementally and systematically in each class throughout the semester. Consequently, the University Writing Program policy is that if you miss more than six periods, you will fail the entire course. Only absences involving university-sponsored events, such as athletics or band, and religious holidays will be excused, after you inform one of us as to the nature of the absence.

Despite any absences (excused or otherwise), it is still your responsibility to turn assignments in on time. If you know that you will be absent for a class, let us know beforehand, and we can let you know what you will be missing.

*if you miss a pop quiz--

Given that pop quizzes are meant to be unexpected, you will not be able to make up these points if you happen to miss one. No exceptions.

*if you miss an In Class Essay--

The policy above likewise applies to In Class Essays, unless you alert us of a planned absence ahead of time. If you have a valid reason for missing class, you may make up In Class Essays during our office hours.

*if you miss a Peer Review--

Similar to the In Class Essay, these points will only be recoverable if you make arrangements with us before the peer review day in question.

Finally, make an effort to be here on time. We may choose to deduct one of your allowed absences if you are repeatedly late.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a serious violation of the student academic honor code. You commit plagiarism when you present the ideas or words of someone else as your own. You commit plagiarism if you use without crediting the source:

§ Any part of another person’s essay, speech, or ideas

§ Any part of an article in a magazine, journal, newspaper; any part of a book, encyclopedia, CD-ROM, online WWW page, etc.

§ Any idea from another person or writer, even if you express that idea in your own words.

Important tip: There should never be a time when you copy and paste something from the Internet and don't provide the exact location from which it came.

All acts of plagiarism will result in failure of the assignment and may result in failure of the entire course. Plagiarism can occur even without any intention to deceive, if the student fails to know and employ proper documentation techniques.

Unless otherwise indicated by the instructor for class group work, all work must be your own. Nothing written for another course will be accepted.

Academic Honesty

As a University of Florida student, your performance is governed by the UF Honor Code, available in its full form at http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog/policies/students.html. The Honor Code requires Florida students to neither give nor receive unauthorized aid in completing all assignments. Violations include cheating, plagiarism, bribery, and misrepresentation. Visit http://www.dso.ufl.edu/judicial/procedures/academicguide.php for more detail.

Students with Disabilities

The University of Florida complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Students requesting accommodation should contact the Students with Disabilities Office, Peabody 202. That office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation.

Course schedule

Readings and activities are subject to change. Be sure to check your Gatorlink accounts daily, as some of these changes may come via an email notification. Supplemental assignments may be handed out throughout the semester.

(Blue text is for our purposes only. I’ll delete it before making copies for our students.)

Week 1: August 20 – 24 (I will introduce the course and first assignment)

R – Introduction to the course.

Week 2: August 27 – 31

T – Read:

R – Read:

Week 3: Sept. 3 - 7

T – Read:

R – Read:

In Class Essay #1

Week 4: Sept. 10 – 14

T – Read:

R – Complete draft of rhetorical analysis due. Peer Review.

Week 5: Sept. 17 – 21

T – Final draft of rhetorical analysis due. (Mentee #1 introduces the definition paper)

R – Read:

Week 6: Sept. 24 - 28

T – Read:

R – Read:

Week 7: Oct. 1 - 5

T – Read:

R – Read:

In Class Essay #2

Week 8: Oct. 8 – 12

T – Complete draft of definition due. Peer Review.

R – Read: (Mentee #2 introduces causal argument)

Week 9: Oct. 15 – 19

T – Read:

Final draft of definition due.

R – Read:

Week 10: Oct. 22 – 26

T - Read:

R – Read:

In Class Essay #3

Week 11: Oct. 29 – Nov. 2

T – Read:

R – Read:

Complete draft of causal argument due. Peer Review.

Week 12: Nov. 5 - 9

T – Final draft of causal argument due. (Mentor #3 introduces proposal)

R – Read:

Week 13: Nov. 12 - 16

T – Read:

R – Read:

Week 14: Nov. 19 - 23

T – Read:

In Class Essay #4

R – Thanksgiving. No Class

Week 15: Nov. 26 – 30

T – Read:

R – Complete draft of proposal due.

Week 16: Dec. 3 - 7

T – Last day of class. Evaluations.

Final draft of proposal due.

Grade Talley Sheet

Rhetorical Analysis ________/125 points

Definition ________/150 points

Causal Argument ________/175 points

Proposal ________/200 points

In Class Essay #1 ________/10 points

In Class Essay #2 ________/10 points

In Class Essay #3 ________/10 points

In Class Essay #4 ________/10 points

Peer Review #1 ________/10 points

Peer Review #2 ________/10 points

Peer Review #3 ________/10 points

Peer Review #4 ________/10 points

Pop Quizzes _

(Pop Quizzes will be worth 5 to 10 points each for a total of 70 points.)

Total ________ /800 points

Grading Scale

736-800 points = A

696-735 = B+

656-695 = B

616-655 = C+

576-615 = C

536-575 = D+

496-535 = D