Syllabus

Contact and Class Information

Professor Jennifer Gennaco
Office: (207) 602-2918
Email: jgennaco@une.edu

Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 am -12:20 pm in Decary 208 from August 29- December 5, 2019 (Academic Calendar)

Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:30 pm -1:20 pm in Marcil 027 and Thursdays 9:30-10:30  in Marcil 027 (or by appointment). 

Course Description (4 credit hours)

This course introduces students to writing as a conscious and developmental activity. Students learn to read, think, and write in response to a variety of texts, to integrate their ideas with those of others, and to treat writing as a recursive process. Through this work with texts, students are exposed to a range of reading and writing techniques they can employ in other courses. Students work individually and collaboratively, participate in peer review, and learn to take more responsibility for their writing development. Placement into this course is determined by multiple measures, including high school achievement and SAT scores. 

Successful completion of English 110 fulfills the writing requirement in the CAS Core Curriculum or the CHP Common Curriculum.

This section of ENG 110 will use digital tools. In this course, you will be required to use WordPress for ePortfolio, Google Docs for formal essays and peer review, and video and/or audio editing software for digital projects. The instructor will provide guidance to support this learning environment; UNE also provides support through the Digispace, a division of the Student Academic Success Center. When seeking DigiSpace assistance, please check hours of availability. 

ENG 110 Learning Outcomes

Students who complete English 110 should

1. Demonstrate the ability to approach writing as a recursive process that requires substantial revision of drafts for content, organization, and clarity (global revision), as well as editing and proofreading (local revision).
2. Be able to integrate their ideas with those of others using summary, paraphrase, quotation, analysis, and synthesis of relevant sources. 
3. Employ techniques of active reading, critical reading, and informal reading response for inquiry, learning, and thinking.
4. Be able to critique their own and others’ work by emphasizing global revision early in the writing process and local revision later in the process.
5. Document their work using appropriate conventions (MLA). 
6. Control sentence-level error (grammar, punctuation, and spelling).

Required Texts       

Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody, and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull Handbook, 3^rd ed. New York:  W.W. Norton & Company. 2014. ISBN 978-0-393-60264-7. 
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. 4th ed. New York:  Random House. 2014. ISBN 978-0-393-66405-8.

Supplemental Texts

Our course will use excerpts from the following texts. These texts are available from the library and may be photocopied. Alternatively, online versions may be printed, or used copies may be purchased.

Bain, Ken. What the Best College Students Do. Cambridge, MA:  Belknap Press of Harvard University. 2012. ISBN 978-0-674-06664-9.

Boyd, Danah. It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens. New Haven: Yale University Press. 2014. ISBN  978-0-300-16631-6.

Please note: students will be required to print designated articles for class and will be notified in advance. Most articles will be multiple pages. Supplemental text readings will consist of a chapter or two of the book and will be available on reserve at the library or for access through electronic copy via the library collection. 

Class Policies

Attendance: Attendance is mandatory in English 110 since much of the active, collaborative learning in the course takes place in the classroom. Small group discussions, peer review, and writing activities are essential elements of the course, and students who miss these activities are not fully participating in the course. Students who miss more than the equivalent of two weeks of class (four absences) should not expect to pass.

Students are expected to attend all classes. Students are responsible for any materials discussed and work assigned during a missed class period, including peer review. In the event that a student will not be in class, he or she should contact me via email (in advance when possible). Students may earn partial engagement credit for missed classes, depending on the class activities and regardless of the reason for the absence. 

Workload:This course workload adheres to US Department of Education requirements for college credit. According to the US DOE, a college credit requires student work that “reasonably approximates not less than one hour of class and two hours of out-of-class student work per week.” As a 4-credit course, ENG 110 will require four in-class hours and not less than 8 out-of-class hours of student work.

Technology: Please recognize the disruption of cell phones and/or text messaging during class. Students should turn off or silence electronic devices at the beginning of class. In the event that a student must use a cell phone, please step outside of the classroom. Our class will integrate frequent computer usage. These computer tasks will be focused on academic, not personal, use. Communications made in discussion forums should be treated as classroom discussions and should follow classroom behavioral expectations.  

Writing Fellow: This course has its own dedicated peer tutor, Vic Wilbur. Vic is available to support you through the writing process, and she is also well-versed in ePortfolio. You must meet with Vic at least once during the term, but you may elect to drop into her office hours as needed. In my comments on your drafts, I may instruct you to work with myself or Vic on specific aspects to your writing, so be aware of her office hours, which will be updated on our class site. 

Midterm Academic Progress Reports

The University of New England is committed to the academic success of its students.  At the midterm of each semester, instructors will report the performance of each student as SATISFACTORY (S) or UNSATISFACTORY (U).  Instructors will announce when these midterm academic progress reports will be available for viewing via U-online. This early alert system gives all students important information about progress in their courses. Students who receive an UNSATISFACTORY midterm report should take immediate action by speaking with their instructor to discuss suggestions for improvement such as utilizing the services of academic advising, the Student Academic Success Center, Counseling Services, and Residential Education.

Students with Disabilities

The University of New England is committed to creating a learning environment that meets the needs of its diverse student body and will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Any student eligible for and needing academic adjustments or accommodations because of a disability is requested to speak with the professor at the beginning of the semester. Registration with the Student Access Center is required before accommodation requests can be granted. Visit https://www.une.edu/student-access-center for more information.

Class Cancellation Policy

Should the class be cancelled (either by the University or the professor), students should check the course site for a revised set of assignments. Since some of the course work can be completed virtually, students will be expected to complete certain assignments when class is cancelled.

Student Academic Success Center (SASC)

The Student Academic Success Center offers a range of free services to support your academic achievement, including tutoring, writing support, test-prep and studying strategies, learning style consultations, and many online resources. To make an appointment for tutoring, writing support, or a learning specialist consultation, go to  http://une.tutortrac.com or visit SASC. To access our online resources, including links, guides, and video tutorials, visit  https://une1.sharepoint.com/sites/SASC.

Academic Integrity (See handout.)

Course Requirements and Grade Distribution

Students are required to submit a paper copy of first and final drafts for each piece of formal writing (first and final drafts for each project). When the draft is due, students will submit an electronic copy to me (via Google Docs), a paper copy during class. You will be annotating your paper copy, so please be sure to bring the printed draft. 

Projects include elements of annotation, peer review, revision, and formal writing pieces. Please note that due dates may change. Weekly assignments will be posted on the weekly agenda page https://eng110-h1-f19.uneportfolio.org/.

• Engagement = 20% (200/1000 points)
  Attendance, completion of assignments in a timely manner, active participation in class activities and discussions, updating ePortfolio materials in a timely manner, use of resources (such as meeting with Vic, our writing fellow), peer review, application of active reading strategies, and completion of all self-assessments will define the engagement portion of the grade. After the completion of each project, students will self-assess their progress for that section of the course. Three self-assessments will be completed during the course. 
  • First self-assessment due October 8 (revised 10/1)
  • Second self-assessment due November 5
  • Third self-assessment (in class) November 21
• Writing Sample Project (2-3 page revised essay) = 5% (50/1000 points)
  • First draft due September 3
  • Peer review sample (completed in class) due September 3
  • Revised final draft due September 5 (paper copy)
  • Reflection in ePortfolio (completed in class) due September 5 
• Reflective Learner Project (4-5 page revised essay and one audio or visual project) = 20% (200/1000 points)
  Project grade will reflect pre-writing and revision process in addition to integrating ideas with others’ ideas, developing ideas, and applying MLA style and standard English conventions in formal writing.  
  • First draft due Tuesday, 9/24
  • Final draft due via Google Docs and in paper copy by Tuesday 10/1
  • Audio and/or video 15- to 60-second reflection linked in ePortfolio by 10/8
• Social Media and Self (4-5 pages) = 20% (200/1000 points)
  Project grade will reflect an assessment of revision process in addition to integrating ideas with others’ ideas, developing ideas, and applying MLA style and standard English conventions in formal writing. 
  • First draft due 10/24  
  • Final draft via Google Docs and in paper copy by 10/31
• Big Data Project  = 20% (200/1000 points)
  Project grade will reflect an assessment of revision process in addition to integrating ideas with others’ ideas, developing ideas, inclusion of material accessed through library databases, and applying MLA style and standard English conventions in formal writing. 
  • No class November 12 in observance of Veterans Day
  • First draft due 11/14
  • Final draft via Google Docs and in paper copy by 11/21
  • Podcast or Video Presentation link in ePortfolio by 11/26
  • Thanksgiving Break: no class 11/28
•  ePortfolio = 15% (150/1000 points)
  • The ePortfolio will require electronic pages including (or with links to) the pre-course writing sample, post-course writing sample, portfolio framing statements, and file evidence (essays, samples of annotation, samples of peer review) from ENG 110 as well as samples from one other course.
  • Student’s ePortfolio will be started during the first week of classes and developed through the term.
  • The finalized ENG 110 section of ePortfolio is due on the last day of classes (12/5).
  • The ePortfolio is the equivalent of a final exam; there is no written final exam for this section of ENG 110. 

Grading Scale

• A = 93-100% (930-1000)

• A- = 90-92.9% (900-929)

• B+ = 87-89.9% (870-899)

• B = 83-86.9% (830-869)

• C+ = 77-79.9% (770-799)

• C = 73-76.9% (730-769)

• B- = 80-82.9% (800-829)

• C- = 70-72.9% (700-729)

• D = 60-69.9% (600-699)

• F = <60 (<600)