are available here
Course materials
• A course packet available at Jenn's Copies, located at 2200 Guadalupe (downstairs under the Scientology building). The course packet should be available by the start of the second week of classes.
• Additional readings will be provided in class and via internet links. If you are missing on the day a reading gets distributed, it is your responsibility to ask me (or a classmate) for the reading. Please note that you should bring hard copies of all readings to class, even if you read the text on line.
• A pocket folder you will use to turn in your essays, drafts, and peer reviews
• Optional -- Lester Faigley, The Little Penguin Handbook. If you don't have a style guide with MLA guidelines, you should buy a copy of this or expect to use the MLA style guides available in the PCL. If you have another, there's no need. Regardless of whether you choose to purchase one or not, you will be responsible for correct MLA in-text citations and works cited.
With the exception of The Little Penguin, these materials are not optional. You are expected to have all of them and to bring them to class on the days we discuss them.
Discussion, attendance, and punctuality
This is a small class whose success depends in large part on your lively and engaged contributions. I expect each of you to come to class ready to contribute. This means that you should come not only having completed the required reading or assignment, but having thought about it. Thoughtful participation requires actively and respectfully listening to what your classmates say, which can mean asking for clarification or building on what someone else has said.
Of course, in order to participate in class, you must come to class. While absences are sometimes unavoidable, please reserve them for illness and emergency: students who miss more than 4 classes will fail the course, with no exceptions. This is the policy of the Department of Rhetoric and Writing. There are no excused absences in this class other than those acknowledged by the University. In this class, illness, out of town emergencies, flat tires, etc. will not count as excused absences, and you will not be able to make up daily assignments missed while ill.
Your punctuality is also essential. Coming to class late disrupts the rhythm of the class, and it is disrespectful to me and to your classmates. By missing the first few minutes of class, you miss important announcements and clarification about upcoming assignments. We begin class when the bell rings. If you arrive after I have taken role, you will be counted tardy – three of these equals one absence. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, you will be counted absent.
If you anticipate missing class because of a religious holy day or official University business (such as an athletic event in which you are participating), you should inform me as far in advance of the absence as possible.
Coursework and Grading:
As an instructor I seek to emphasize the process of becoming a stronger writer. I have designed your assignments and designated their percentages with this goal in mind.
Essay 1, submission 1: 10%
Description of your revision work: 5%
Essay 1, submission 2: 20%
Essay 2, submission 1: 10%
Description of your revision work: 5%
Essay 2, submission 2: 20%
Short writing activities (includes reading quizzes, in-class activities, short writing assignment, etc.): 10%
Blog: 15%
Paper conferences: 5%.
I give letter grades that are intended to indicate how well you meet the expectations of an assignment. If you exceed expectations you get a grade in the A range; B range if you meet them well; C range if you meet them competently; D range if you've missed the boat; and F if you haven't complied with the assignment description at all. At the end of the semester, to come up with your final grades, I convert your grades to numbers with the following scale:
A+: 97; A: 95; A-: 92
B+: 87; B: 85; B-: 82
C+: 77; C: 75; C-: 72
D+: 67; D: 65; D-: 62
F: 59 or below
A few things to keep in mind with respect to grading and requirements:
Learning to evaluate and revise your own work is the most valuable thing you can take away from this course. You will notice that your second, revised submissions are worth more than your initial submissions. There is a significant difference between editing a piece of writing (making small stylistic changes and proofreading for errors) and revising it. Your grade on each second submission will be based, in large part, on how thoroughly you revise.
Do not discard any drafts or graded essays until you are assigned a grade at the end of the semester.
Participation means contributing to the class in a variety of ways: listening to other students and to me, being an active participant in group projects and in-class group work, doing the reading so that you can contribute to conversation (I will check this from time to time with pop quizzes), putting effort into in-class writing assignments, and respectfully engaging with what others have to say.
Submission requirements and late work:
In order to pass the course, you must complete every assignment. All written assignments, except for blogs, are due at the beginning of class in hard copy. Please staple pages together. Unless you are too ill to come to class (see below), do not e-mail assignments to me. I will not accept them unless we have made previous arrangements for me to do so. If you cannot attend class on the day an assignment is due, you must make arrangements for submission with me before your absence.
If you are too ill to attend class on the day that an assignment is due, you may e-mail it to me as an attachment. Provided that I receive the e-mail and am able to open the attachment before class begins at 12:30 and you turn in a hard copy the next day you come to class, I will accept the work and consider it on time. In order for me to count you as sick, you must also bring a doctor’s note on the day that you return to class.
Late work will lose a letter grade for each calendar day it is late. Extensions are negotiable: if, knowing your own academic schedule and obligations, you anticipate needing more time for an assignment, you must speak with me in person at least two calendar days before the assignment is due. Together we will arrive on a later due date that must fit into the syllabus (i.e., the new due date must precede any other due dates for the unit). I will hold you to that new due date and deduct points if you miss it. Do not e-mail me the day before something is due to ask for an extension; I will refuse. Plan ahead.
The computer lab in PAR 102 is open to you as students in a CWRL classroom, so take advantage of it to work on projects and print work. You must build in time for possible technological failure ("my printer ran out of toner!") or contingency ("I lost my backpack"). Late work is late, regardless of circumstance.
Formatting:
Use Times New Roman font, 12-point
Set 1-inch margins; note that 1.25-inch margins are the default on Word, so you actually have to set them to an inch
Double space
List your name, the course title, and the date at the top left corner of the first page
Center the title of the essay below the date; every essay should have a title!
Insert your last name and a page number on every page after the first
Use MLA citation (see below) and include a correctly-formatted Works Cited page
Adhere to the page requirements for the assignment; absolutely no fewer and absolutely no more
Departures from this formatting requirement will result in a 1/3-letter-grade reduction (a B+ becomes a B).
Citation and scholastic integrity:
Use the Modern Language Association's format for your in-text citations and your Works Cited pages. The Little Penguin Handbook provides detailed instructions for MLA citations; I expect you to make an effort to follow them precisely. The Undergraduate Writing Center
also has handouts on line that provide MLA essentials. You do not have to memorize MLA citation strategies; this requirement is designed to get you used to using a standardized citation system, which means knowing how to find out what correct citations are and following the instructions that allow you to produce them. Please note that e-mailing me to ask how to produce a certain citation does not count as finding out on your own! Use the above resources or the MLA Handbook in the PCL's reference section.
Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major course penalty--possible failure of the course. Continue to refer to the scholastic honesty policies of the DRW and the University, which we will go over together in class. If you have any questions about how to use sources appropriately, please consult with me well before you turn in the assignment.
Course etiquette
The way you behave during the semester has a substantial effect on your ethos, or credibility. Please take the following etiquette guidelines into account.
• There will be no sleeping, laying your head down on the table, or working on assignments for other classes. If a student persists in doing these kinds of activities during class, he or she will be counted absent for that day--attention to classroom activities and showing respect for your peers and your instructor is part of being present.
• Turn off your cell phones when you come into class.
• I am happy to answer your questions about the course and your writing via e-mail (erinhurt@mail.utexas.edu). I check my e-mail several times a day, but I cease to do so at night. Do not, therefore, rely on me to answer questions about an assignment (for instance) the night before it is due. It is your responsibility to seek help ahead of time.
• When you send me an e-mail, please be sure that it has both a salutation (e.g., "Dear Erin") and a closing (e.g., "thank you, Jane Doe"). I will not respond to messages if I do not know to whom I am responding, and I expect you to address me in your e-mail as a matter of courtesy. Think of composing an e-mail as a rhetorical act.
• Treat the computers we use in the classroom and in PAR 102 with care, and do not use them for work not related to our course. Always log out when you are finished with in-class work.
The policy statement as a contract
Think of this policy statement as a contract we--you the students and I the instructor--enter into with the object of creating a mutually respectful learning environment. When, after reading these policies in detail, you decide that this course is one you will stay in, you are, in effect, agreeing to a bargain. You, the student, agree to participate fully in the course, abiding by the terms outlined (so exhaustively!) above. I, the instructor, agree to work very hard to meet your expectations as well. My end of the bargain includes:
• Being well prepared to teach and discuss the material we cover.
• Listening to and respecting your opinions and positions. You can also expect me to challenge you, asking you questions that will get you to refine your positions and explain what you mean.
• Holding 3 office hours a week. My office hours are the time and place to talk to me about questions/comments raised by class discussion, questions related to your peers’ or my comments on your essay drafts, and questions about grading. This might include trouble understanding a text, difficulty with a concept, or problems with writer’s block. In the event that I will not make office hours one day, I will let you know well ahead of time and will post an alternate time for that week on the course website – this might include making them up via office hours online.