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Writing 140: Writing and Critical Thinking Instructor: David Tomkins E-mail: dtomkins@usc.edu Section: 90660 Office: Freshman Writing House (Room 205) Classroom: GFS 213 Office Hours: TTH 11:00 to 12:00 Meeting Time: TTH 12:30 to 1:45 Writing Program Office: PIC 208 Writing Program Phone: 740-1980 Course Objectives: Welcome to Writing 140. The purpose of this class is to help you develop your writing and critical thinking skills, to prepare you to participate in the academic discourse community, and to enable you to meet the writing expectations of USC. Although the USC Catalogue lists this class as a lecture, writing is not a skill that can be honed by simply sitting back and listening to me talk for sixteen weeks. Rather than a lecture, you should think of this class as a workshop. This means that I will expect you to participate in class, to ask questions, and to work in groups. In addition, you will receive plenty of individual attention, for most writing assignments will include a conference with me, and I am always available during office hours as well as by appointment. You can also contact me via e-mail, but as I do not regularly check it, I cannot guarantee a speedy response. The best way to interact with me outside of class is to visit me during office hours. It is difficult to find a single word or phrase that can describe all of the activities that we will engage in throughout the semester. But the objective of the course remains a lucid one: to write well-structured, argumentative and convincing essays that address three main themes, process, critique, and craft. The Link: USC has created a unique writing environment. In an effort to achieve greater cohesion between the university's Writing Program and the curriculum at large, the college has designated a link between Writing 140 - a skills-based course - and several content-based Social Issues courses. This connection, as it relates to my class and your responsibilities, affects you in the following way: you will learn how to write academic essays in Writing 140 while being simultaneously linked to Sociology 142, which is taught by Professor Elaine Kaplan. The assignments in my class will focus on issues related to "Diversity and Racial Conflict" only as a subject for writing, not as the theme for my class. In Writing 140 you will focus on writing, in SOCI 142 you will concern yourself with beginning to understand patterns of race relations in the United States. It is important for you to acknowledge that my class and Professor Kaplan's class are graded independent of one another. This means that while you may earn a "C" on an SOCI 142 midterm, the possibility exists for you to earn an "A" on Assignment #3 in my class. Or, conversely, you may earn an "A" on an SOCI 142 paper and a "C" on a Writing 140 paper. Both classes employ different rubrics to determine grades: I will make clear the standards of my grading practices, as will Professor Kaplan in her class. Required Texts: 1) Writing with Style. Trimble, John R. 2) For Argument's Sake. Mayberry, Katherine J. 3) A Writer's Reference. Hacker, Diana 4) Writing 140 Course Book Highly Recommended Texts: 1) MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. Gibaldi, Joseph Note: you can find this book in any good book store, or you may order it online - www.mla.org 2) Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 3) Merriam-Webster's Thesaurus Other Required Materials and Duties: 1) Photocopies of your essays (for the purposes of peer review) 2) A two-pocket folder 3) An e-mail account Essays: You are required to write five - four to seven page - thesis driven essays. Any paper under four pages will not receive a passing grade (I ask that papers three, four, and five consist of a minimum of five full pages).
Conferences: In addition to attending regularly scheduled classes, you will each have the opportunity to meet with me at least five times outside of class during the semester to get help with your writing in a one-to-one context. These meetings can be exceptionally productive if you are prepared and interested in improving your skills. I am also available for less formal conferences during my office hours or by appointment. Spectrum Lecture Series: As part of the new General Education Program, all students enrolled in Writing 140 are required to attend the Spectrum Lecture Series. It meets twice during the semester: once on Tuesday, February 1st and again on Tuesday, March 1st. Both lectures begin at 7:00 p.m. and take place in Bovard Auditorium. The College and the Writing Program take these lectures very seriously, and attendance is mandatory. The good news is that because USC is a big university it can spend large amounts of money to contract big name speakers. Take advantage of these lectures, as they are free and usually very interesting. Final Portfolio: In lieu of a final examination at the end of the semester, you will turn in two heavily revised essays that you will chose from among the five that you have written for the class. In addition, an in-class impromptu essay will be administered toward the end of the semester that will also constitute part of your final grade. This brief essay assignment is designed by Writing Program administrators and deals specifically with the content of the Spectrum Lecture Series. I cannot stress enough the importance of attending the Lecture Series, listening carefully to its speakers, and taking copious notes: while the impromptu will not "make or break" your grade, it can and often does influence the grade you receive on the final portfolio. Understand that the impromptu and two heavily revised essays (chosen by you) will comprise your final portfolio and will be graded collaboratively by myself and the other assistant lecturers affiliated with SOCI 142. The purpose of having other instructors read your work is to ensure consistent grading procedures within the Writing Program. Grading: This is a challenging and potentially difficult class. In all likelihood you will put more time into this class than you will into any of your other courses this semester. But, having said that, I should add that the amount of time you devote to my class may not necessarily be proportionate to the grade you will receive. Although the Writing Program encourages students to understand writing as a process, in the end we grade product. It is important, then, that the papers you turn in demonstrate your very best work. I base grades on the department's rubric and on the performance of the class as a whole. You will find that while I have very high standards I am also a reasonable and fair instructor.
Attendance: I cannot stress enough how important it is that you attend my class consistently for the duration of our time together. As I stated above, I structure my class as a workshop in which key developmental skills are constantly being introduced and practiced. My goal is to create a hands-on learning environment, and to that end I expect all of you to do your part and show up - every Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 p.m. - prepared to work. You are allowed three absences and two tardies*; absences in excess of four will negatively impact your ability to write and think, and will lower your final grade. Missing a scheduled conference counts as an absence. An absence is only considered excused in the event of a serious medical or personal emergency, or for participation in a university-sponsored event or religious holiday. Sorority and/or Fraternity related activities ARE NOT considered university-sponsored events by me or by USC. If you know in advance that you will miss class due to a religious holiday, you must notify me in writing before the end of the second week of the semester. If you will be participating in any university-sponsored events, you must provide written notification to me no later than one week in advance. *Be forewarned: I count two tardies as one full absence Important Policies:
How Your Grades are Calculated
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