Hello, students! Although this syllabus is in a slightly different format than you might be used to, it contains all of the information you need to complete this course successfully: instructor information, course objectives, grading requirements, and student policies.
WR 115 is a course that is designed to introduce you to essential reading, writing, and thinking skills you will need to be successful in college writing projects. This includes the skill of metacognition, or the ability to think critically about your own thinking. Watch this video to learn more:
Part of metacognition, as you just saw, is thinking about how you complete a project; I’m presenting this syllabus to you as a multimodal text, or a piece of writing that presents information in a variety of forms: through text, visuals, and audio. You will write multimodal texts in this class, as well!
I try to answer all email messages within 24 hours; however, I do not answer email after 5:00 pm or on Sundays. If you need to get in touch with me, please try to plan ahead!
Always be professional in your email communications. This means using proper greetings, proofreading for typos, and being utterly polite. I, and your other instructors, will thank you for it.
Visiting Chief Old Joseph’s gravesite near Wallowa Lake, OR.
Other Ways to Get in Touch
For updates on the course, tips on writing, and interesting news stories, follow me on Twitter or use the hashtag #WR115.
Introduction to College Composition introduces students to the expectations of college-level reading, thinking, and writing. Students will be introduced to rhetorical concepts and engage in a collaborative writing process to produce projects for a variety of purposes and audiences, across more than one genre. Reading, writing, and critical thinking activities will focus on inquiry and the development of the metacognitive awareness of individuals as writers.
Students will produce one formal essay of 700-800 words and a total of 2000-2500 words of revised, final draft copy over the term that incorporate source material and practice MLA citing and attribution conventions (OWEAC).
Prerequisites: Pass WR 95 with a “C-” or better, or suitable placement score and pass READ 12, or suitable placement score.
Course Objectives
Practice rhetorical awareness
Recognize key rhetorical concepts and apply these concepts through analysis of texts
Use critical reading strategies to understand college-level texts and practice critical reading as a component of the writing process
Evaluate provided sources and recognize the conversational nature of academic conversations and of research
Identify and practice stages of the writing process
Recognize that composing processes and tools are a means to discover and reconsider ideas
Use collaborative aspects of writing processes by giving and receiving feedback
Recognize and practice the conventions of Standard Edited English
Understand the effects of genre on text structure, paragraphing, sentence structure, and word choice
Practice citation conventions
Recognize that composing practices enact and impact thinking
Transfer and apply writing knowledge to new contexts
Required Textbooks
Please purchase the following books from the TVCC Bookstore. Your textbook, Easy Writer, will come bundled with an access code to LaunchPad Solo, the online component of the textbook. Buying bundled is much cheaper than buying the access code separately!
Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild, Anchor Books, 2015. ISBN: 978-0385486804
Lunsford, Andrea A. Easy Writer with Exercises (with LaunchPad Solo), Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-319-11018-5
You will also need to access this open textbook, which is free to you online.
This term, we will explore our personal relationship with nature. Our reading and writing will explore local places in nature, our own favorite haunts, and the way that nature can influence the development of our personalities.
Chris McCandless, the idealistic protagonist of Into the Wild.
This essay will ask you to research and write a detailed, first-person tour of a natural place in the Pacific Northwest. If you were an adventurer in this place, what would you experience? Your essay should include, but not rely upon, images from your chosen place.
Personality Reflection
One of the most compelling aspects of Chris McCandless’s personality is his unwavering sense of morality. This essay will ask you to reflect on your own morality: how do you decide what is right and wrong? Who did you learn these lessons from? This project will exercise your metacognition!
Literary Analysis
Jon Krakauer begins each chapter of Into the Wild with an epigraph–a short quotation that hints at the theme of the chapter. This essay will ask you to choose one of the epigraphs that strikes you as particularly interesting and use it as a lens to explain one aspect of the text. How the quotation help the reader understand Chris McCandless’s life, personality, or relationships (with people or the wild)?
Wiki Projects
Much of your classwork will be staged on one of a variety of Wiki pages in our Blackboard course. A wiki is a collaborative web page authored by a group of people who share an interest; it can be edited and added to by anyone in the group. Wikis are a truly multimodal genre: they can support text, visuals, and audio! Wikipedia is probably the most well-known example of a wiki.
Course Requirements
It is department policy that all writing students must earn a 73% C to progress to the next writing course.
Assignment
Total Points
Major Projects:
Nature Profile (100)
Personality Reflection (100)
Literary Analysis (100)
Writing Process Wiki (150)
450
Learning Activities (18)
180
Introduction Wiki
20
Methods Wiki (5)
75
Tests (4)
100
Essay Exam
50
Class Total
800
You may access your grades at any time by logging onto Blackboard and clicking “Grade Check.”
All assignments and writing projects have a hard deadline, which you can find on the course schedule; for Wikis, in which you will comment on another students work, it is especially important that you adhere to the set due dates. All work must be completed by 11:59 pm on the due date. I do NOT accept late work for learning activities, Wikis, or tests. Plan ahead (and work ahead!).
However, I do realize that sometimes life gets hectic and we may need a little leeway. Final drafts of writing projects (Nature Profile, Personality Reflection, Literary Analysis ONLY) have a 48 hour grace period on the due date. After this grace period, you can still turn in your final drafts, but only for half credit.
You must turn in all major writing projects (Nature Profile, Personality Reflection, Literary Analysis, and Writing Process Wikis) to be eligible to pass this class!
Student Expectations
Students in this class must
Be present in the online classroom.
Complete all assignments and tasks to the best of their ability.
Have a good attitude in all class communications.
Use technology wisely.
Treat the instructor, their classmates, and themselves with the utmost respect.
My students should expect the same of me!
Netiquette
Please realize that an online classroom follows different rules than social media. Every word you post must be polite and professional. Use correct grammar and spelling at all times. Never troll another student! Bring your best self to class!
Plagiarism
Plagiarism, or misrepresenting another person’s work as your own, is a serious academic offense. Students who plagiarize or cheat on an assignment will receive an “F” for the assignment. Students who plagiarize or cheat on an essay will receive an “F” for the course. Any student who assists another in cheating is equally responsible.
To ensure the integrity of the writing process, all essays will be submitted to SafeAssign, an anti-plagiarism software supported by Blackboard. You will be able to view your originality reports.
If you ever feel tempted to plagiarize, please come speak to me. There are better ways to pass a class than to cheat!
TVCC is an equal opportunity entity. TVCC, its employees and agents shall not discriminate or harass others in its employment, admissions, services, benefits, education and athletic practices or activities on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, use of native language, color, sex, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, age if the individual 18 or older, physical or mental disability, veteran status (disabled or Vietnam Era), height to weight ratio, organization or political affiliations. The prohibition against harassment or discrimination based on the use of native language does not require the College to offer classes in any language other than English.
Special Needs Contact
TVCC promotes equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities through its commitment to a barrier-free campus. TVCC’s Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance officer can be reached at (541-881-5812). We encourage students and staff to contact the Disability Services in the Student Services Center (541-881-5815) with questions regarding accommodation for students with disabilities. The college supports this commitment by providing in-class services, resource/referral information, adaptive equipment, consultation with student and instructors, and advocating for the removal of attitudinal and architectural barriers. Students must inform me of any documented disability within the first week of the term.
WR 115 Syllabus 