Summer 2012
English 111: Rhetoric and Composition, Fully Online Course
Course Website Login Required Daily
Professor Lauren Goldstein
e-mail: the fastest way to reach me is at [email protected]. I receive my email on my phone, so I will usually respond within a few hours (though please allow up to 24 hours for an email response). E-mails sent after 10pm might not be answered until the following morning.
Contacting Me:
One of the most important aspects in making this a successful course is to keep in touch with me. I understand life emergencies come up, so make sure to let me know your situation and plans so we can work to minimize the effect on your grade.
I will hold office hours on Skype each Monday from 12pm to 1pm. l will use the text-only chat version of Skype, so it is NOT necessary that you have a microphone or camera on your computer. In order to take advantage of these "real time" office hours, you must register for a free Skype account if you do not have one. Follow (click on) this link to watch my screencast video about how to create a new Skype account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwARuM5dyM
Required texts:
*Reliable access to high speed, DSL, or cable internet. Due to the volume of electronic documents, including websites and video, dial-up internet connections cannot be considered reliable access.
*Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, 8th Edition. Diana George and John Trimbur. ISBN 0205211259
*A USB Flash Drive for Storage, at least 2 GB (especially useful when composing on public computers). You can find these at a reasonable price (as long as you don’t buy one with sparkly crystals, logos, and anime characters) both online at www.amazon.com, or at Staples or Office Depot, and many other stores.
*DROPBOX.COM: dropbox.com allows you to secure your own space on the internet to save 2gb worth of documents. It stores your documents so you can retrieve them at any time. This is really handy for handling crashed hard drives since it is a reliable way to back up your work on an external server.
About English 111:
Welcome to New Mexico State University and to your ENG 111 course. This semester, you’ll learn more about how to critically read, annotate, and interpret texts, as well as research, evaluate, construct and write arguments. In other words, you will learn to be critical, both as a writer and a reader. By being able to analyze arguments that you both read and craft, and by considering multiple audiences, you will be able to better enter various conversations that will happen in your field of study.
The texts we’ll examine this semester will take the form of narrative and other types of essays, advertisements, websites, short movie clips, photos, and will be provided by both me and your colleagues in class. This, as well as the activities you’ll do individually and with your classmates, will help you gain a better understanding of rhetoric and its applications.
How to Succeed in this Class:
*Check your email often (at least 2x day)
*Check the Course Schedule on the Course Website at least 2x week on Tuesday and Thursday.
*Turn your assignments in on time. Though this is an online course, deadlines are firm as they would be in any professional setting.
*Keep in touch with me via Skype office hours (12-1pm every Monday) or email—I can’t emphasize this enough. Please ask me any questions, I am here to help you be efficient and professional with your own learning style.
*Be willing to consider classmates’ opinions and maintain a respectful online environment. Avoid making snap judgments and remember that each person has her/his own lives, commitments, joys, and pain. Every student benefits from making her/his online interactions civil and constructive.
State of New Mexico Course Objectives:
The State of New Mexico objectives for our general education writing courses (ENG 111 included) state that students should be taught to:
*Analyze and evaluate oral and written communication in terms of situation, audience, purpose, aesthetics, and adverse points of view.
*Express a primary purpose in a compelling statement and order supporting points logically and convincingly.
*Use effective rhetorical strategies to persuade, inform, and engage.
*Employ writing and/or speaking processes such as planning, collaborating, organizing, composing, revising, and editing to create presentations using correct diction, syntax, grammar, and mechanics.
*Integrate research correctly and ethically from credible sources to support the primary purpose of communication.
*Engage in reasoned civil discourse while recognizing the distinctions among opinions, facts, and inferences.
Course Policies:
Communication:
*You are responsible for keeping up with the course materials and deadlines. Online courses are as rigorous as a face-to-face course, and you should devote the same amount of time to this class as you would if we met in a regular classroom.
*If anything comes up in your life that prevents you from completing your work or interferes with class, you must keep in touch with me and keep me updated! I am only willing to work with your circumstances if you make a responsible effort to keep me informed.
*You must be willing to contact other students through Canvas email or chat during the weeks noted on the schedule. Group work is part of most job settings, and new media technology such as GoogleDocs and WikiSpaces allow professional meetings to take place in a purely online setting. We will be utilizing these technologies to collaborate with another classmate/small group twice during the semester.
Contacting Classmates:
You are also able to contact another student in class through Canvas by opening your inbox at the top of the Canvas screen. Then, in the new mail window click the "To:" field and you will be presented with the names of everyone in class. Click the box next to the name of the class member you wish to contact. You are now ready to type and send your message.
Late Work:
*Projects and assignments are due on the due dates and times specified. You will have one chance per semester to turn in one of the major assignments up to one week late with no grade penalty. I will not accept any late work if you’ve not contacted me about it before it is due. Late work is subject to point deduction. You are responsible for finding out about any discussed material and announcements missed in your absence and for keeping up with readings and due dates.
Plagiarism:
Claiming the work of others as your own constitutes academic dishonesty and will result in your failing the assignment in which it takes place or possibly the course. If you are not sure how to cite a source or whether something you’ve written constitutes plagiarism, ask me before you turn it in. The University's policy on plagiarism is located here: http://www.nmsu.edu/~vpsa/SCOC/misconduct.html The Library also has a helpful web page on avoiding plagiarism (intentional or unintentional): http://nmsu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=21067&sid=813435
If You Receive Financial Aid:
You are responsible for determining your eligibility for scholarships and ensuring that you remain eligible. I will not change the grades you earn in order for you to keep your scholarship.
Expectations:
You can think of the following expectations as a summary for this syllabus. These expectations help me maintain a welcoming and productive online classroom environment for all students. I don’t expect that you all will become best friends, but hopefully you will be able to build a rapport with me and with others in class.
--Stay informed about the course’s policies, assignments, and schedule. If at any point you are confused about what’s due, what’s expected in an assignment, or what a policy means for you, review these sources and then contact me if you still can’t find the answer.
--Participate fully in the course. Complete assigned readings and prepare to discuss and ask questions about them. Follow instructions carefully on assignments, double-checking the instructions before you submit them, and turn in your work on time.
--Maintain a respectful, professional, and safe online environment. Respect not only me as your instructor, but also your peers as equals. Any comments, jokes of remarks that denigrate the worth of an individual’s physical or mental ability, body size, religion, race, creed, ethnic background, sexual preference, or gender are inappropriate will not be tolerated.
--Complete all tasks and assignments to the best of your ability, utilizing as many of the resources that are available to you as you can.
--Keep me informed of anything that occurs that will interfere with your performance in the course. A sick family member, relationship difficulties, a car accident, or a prolonged illness could have damaging effects on your grade, but if I am aware of what is going on, we can try and reach a compromise that minimizes these effects.
--Understand and respect the university’s and the English department’s policies, particularly those for attendance and the like. I’m fully aware sometimes life interferes with your ability to abide by these policies, but if you deviate from them, take responsibility for it and accept the consequences.
Assessment and Grading:
Canvas Posts and Classmate Response Posts--20%
Narrative Project (including drafting stages)—20%
Visual Analysis Essay (including drafting stages)--20%
Final Project--30%
Peer Feedback for Major Assignments--10%
NMSU-A ADA Statement:
Feel free to call Mindy, Advisor of Services for Students with Disabilities, at 575-439-3724 with any questions you may have on student issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.
Feel free to call Gerard Nevarez, Director of Institutional Equity at 575.646.3635 with any questions you may have about NMSU’s Non-discrimination Policy and complaint of discrimination, including sexual harassment or you may visit website www.nmsu.edu/~eeo to obtain information.
Major Assignments:
Narrative Project:
Many of the texts we’ll read this semester rely on narrative to make their point. That is, they tell a story to help illustrate their argument. Some writers use first-person narratives; others use used third-person. Some have integrated their narrative with their analysis, with their argument. Others have presented the narrative alone, and then followed it with the analysis and larger argument.
For this assignment, you will also use narrative to make your point. Whether you choose to use first-person or third-person, whether you choose to integrate your argument into your narrative or separate them into two different parts will depend on your purpose and your audience. You should, whatever style you choose, have a clear point that is relevant to your audience. Remember that you are writing for your readers—you have to make your narrative interesting to them.
Some tips for writing a successful narrative:
Construct Your Ideal Space Project:
Stay Tuned!!
Final Project:
For your final project, you will use one of your two projects as a starting point to build a more in-depth set of ideas that incorporates material you've learned and wrestled with over the course of the semester. Specific instructions and grading rubrics will be discussed later in the semester.
English 111: Rhetoric and Composition, Fully Online Course
Course Website Login Required Daily
Professor Lauren Goldstein
e-mail: the fastest way to reach me is at [email protected]. I receive my email on my phone, so I will usually respond within a few hours (though please allow up to 24 hours for an email response). E-mails sent after 10pm might not be answered until the following morning.
Contacting Me:
One of the most important aspects in making this a successful course is to keep in touch with me. I understand life emergencies come up, so make sure to let me know your situation and plans so we can work to minimize the effect on your grade.
I will hold office hours on Skype each Monday from 12pm to 1pm. l will use the text-only chat version of Skype, so it is NOT necessary that you have a microphone or camera on your computer. In order to take advantage of these "real time" office hours, you must register for a free Skype account if you do not have one. Follow (click on) this link to watch my screencast video about how to create a new Skype account: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huwARuM5dyM
Required texts:
*Reliable access to high speed, DSL, or cable internet. Due to the volume of electronic documents, including websites and video, dial-up internet connections cannot be considered reliable access.
*Reading Culture: Contexts for Critical Reading and Writing, 8th Edition. Diana George and John Trimbur. ISBN 0205211259
*A USB Flash Drive for Storage, at least 2 GB (especially useful when composing on public computers). You can find these at a reasonable price (as long as you don’t buy one with sparkly crystals, logos, and anime characters) both online at www.amazon.com, or at Staples or Office Depot, and many other stores.
*DROPBOX.COM: dropbox.com allows you to secure your own space on the internet to save 2gb worth of documents. It stores your documents so you can retrieve them at any time. This is really handy for handling crashed hard drives since it is a reliable way to back up your work on an external server.
About English 111:
Welcome to New Mexico State University and to your ENG 111 course. This semester, you’ll learn more about how to critically read, annotate, and interpret texts, as well as research, evaluate, construct and write arguments. In other words, you will learn to be critical, both as a writer and a reader. By being able to analyze arguments that you both read and craft, and by considering multiple audiences, you will be able to better enter various conversations that will happen in your field of study.
The texts we’ll examine this semester will take the form of narrative and other types of essays, advertisements, websites, short movie clips, photos, and will be provided by both me and your colleagues in class. This, as well as the activities you’ll do individually and with your classmates, will help you gain a better understanding of rhetoric and its applications.
How to Succeed in this Class:
*Check your email often (at least 2x day)
*Check the Course Schedule on the Course Website at least 2x week on Tuesday and Thursday.
*Turn your assignments in on time. Though this is an online course, deadlines are firm as they would be in any professional setting.
*Keep in touch with me via Skype office hours (12-1pm every Monday) or email—I can’t emphasize this enough. Please ask me any questions, I am here to help you be efficient and professional with your own learning style.
*Be willing to consider classmates’ opinions and maintain a respectful online environment. Avoid making snap judgments and remember that each person has her/his own lives, commitments, joys, and pain. Every student benefits from making her/his online interactions civil and constructive.
State of New Mexico Course Objectives:
The State of New Mexico objectives for our general education writing courses (ENG 111 included) state that students should be taught to:
*Analyze and evaluate oral and written communication in terms of situation, audience, purpose, aesthetics, and adverse points of view.
*Express a primary purpose in a compelling statement and order supporting points logically and convincingly.
*Use effective rhetorical strategies to persuade, inform, and engage.
*Employ writing and/or speaking processes such as planning, collaborating, organizing, composing, revising, and editing to create presentations using correct diction, syntax, grammar, and mechanics.
*Integrate research correctly and ethically from credible sources to support the primary purpose of communication.
*Engage in reasoned civil discourse while recognizing the distinctions among opinions, facts, and inferences.
Course Policies:
Communication:
*You are responsible for keeping up with the course materials and deadlines. Online courses are as rigorous as a face-to-face course, and you should devote the same amount of time to this class as you would if we met in a regular classroom.
*If anything comes up in your life that prevents you from completing your work or interferes with class, you must keep in touch with me and keep me updated! I am only willing to work with your circumstances if you make a responsible effort to keep me informed.
*You must be willing to contact other students through Canvas email or chat during the weeks noted on the schedule. Group work is part of most job settings, and new media technology such as GoogleDocs and WikiSpaces allow professional meetings to take place in a purely online setting. We will be utilizing these technologies to collaborate with another classmate/small group twice during the semester.
Contacting Classmates:
You are also able to contact another student in class through Canvas by opening your inbox at the top of the Canvas screen. Then, in the new mail window click the "To:" field and you will be presented with the names of everyone in class. Click the box next to the name of the class member you wish to contact. You are now ready to type and send your message.
Late Work:
*Projects and assignments are due on the due dates and times specified. You will have one chance per semester to turn in one of the major assignments up to one week late with no grade penalty. I will not accept any late work if you’ve not contacted me about it before it is due. Late work is subject to point deduction. You are responsible for finding out about any discussed material and announcements missed in your absence and for keeping up with readings and due dates.
Plagiarism:
Claiming the work of others as your own constitutes academic dishonesty and will result in your failing the assignment in which it takes place or possibly the course. If you are not sure how to cite a source or whether something you’ve written constitutes plagiarism, ask me before you turn it in. The University's policy on plagiarism is located here: http://www.nmsu.edu/~vpsa/SCOC/misconduct.html The Library also has a helpful web page on avoiding plagiarism (intentional or unintentional): http://nmsu.libguides.com/content.php?pid=21067&sid=813435
If You Receive Financial Aid:
You are responsible for determining your eligibility for scholarships and ensuring that you remain eligible. I will not change the grades you earn in order for you to keep your scholarship.
Expectations:
You can think of the following expectations as a summary for this syllabus. These expectations help me maintain a welcoming and productive online classroom environment for all students. I don’t expect that you all will become best friends, but hopefully you will be able to build a rapport with me and with others in class.
--Stay informed about the course’s policies, assignments, and schedule. If at any point you are confused about what’s due, what’s expected in an assignment, or what a policy means for you, review these sources and then contact me if you still can’t find the answer.
--Participate fully in the course. Complete assigned readings and prepare to discuss and ask questions about them. Follow instructions carefully on assignments, double-checking the instructions before you submit them, and turn in your work on time.
--Maintain a respectful, professional, and safe online environment. Respect not only me as your instructor, but also your peers as equals. Any comments, jokes of remarks that denigrate the worth of an individual’s physical or mental ability, body size, religion, race, creed, ethnic background, sexual preference, or gender are inappropriate will not be tolerated.
--Complete all tasks and assignments to the best of your ability, utilizing as many of the resources that are available to you as you can.
--Keep me informed of anything that occurs that will interfere with your performance in the course. A sick family member, relationship difficulties, a car accident, or a prolonged illness could have damaging effects on your grade, but if I am aware of what is going on, we can try and reach a compromise that minimizes these effects.
--Understand and respect the university’s and the English department’s policies, particularly those for attendance and the like. I’m fully aware sometimes life interferes with your ability to abide by these policies, but if you deviate from them, take responsibility for it and accept the consequences.
Assessment and Grading:
Canvas Posts and Classmate Response Posts--20%
Narrative Project (including drafting stages)—20%
Visual Analysis Essay (including drafting stages)--20%
Final Project--30%
Peer Feedback for Major Assignments--10%
NMSU-A ADA Statement:
Feel free to call Mindy, Advisor of Services for Students with Disabilities, at 575-439-3724 with any questions you may have on student issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.
Feel free to call Gerard Nevarez, Director of Institutional Equity at 575.646.3635 with any questions you may have about NMSU’s Non-discrimination Policy and complaint of discrimination, including sexual harassment or you may visit website www.nmsu.edu/~eeo to obtain information.
Major Assignments:
Narrative Project:
Many of the texts we’ll read this semester rely on narrative to make their point. That is, they tell a story to help illustrate their argument. Some writers use first-person narratives; others use used third-person. Some have integrated their narrative with their analysis, with their argument. Others have presented the narrative alone, and then followed it with the analysis and larger argument.
For this assignment, you will also use narrative to make your point. Whether you choose to use first-person or third-person, whether you choose to integrate your argument into your narrative or separate them into two different parts will depend on your purpose and your audience. You should, whatever style you choose, have a clear point that is relevant to your audience. Remember that you are writing for your readers—you have to make your narrative interesting to them.
Some tips for writing a successful narrative:
- Include sensory details (remember you have 5 senses: taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell). Incorporating details beyond just sight or sound will make your narrative much richer.
- Vary your sentence structure. This is especially important if you are writing in the first-person. You don’t want to begin every, or even most, of your sentences with “I”.
- Write much more than you need to in your early drafts. Include everything that comes to mind, even the stuff that seems irrelevant. Let it rest, and then cut mercilessly.
- Build suspense. Building suspense might mean making your readers bite their fingernails, but it can also mean presenting a scene or a part of a scene without telling your readers what to think about it. Let your readers begin to respond on their own to the scene and then offer your own interpretation. If you tell your readers what to think about a scene first, then they have little reason to read the scene itself
Construct Your Ideal Space Project:
Stay Tuned!!
Final Project:
For your final project, you will use one of your two projects as a starting point to build a more in-depth set of ideas that incorporates material you've learned and wrestled with over the course of the semester. Specific instructions and grading rubrics will be discussed later in the semester.