ENC 2135–145

Research, Genre, and Context

Instructor: Alex Jaros

Email: ajaros@fsu.edu

Class times: M/W/F 10:10-11:00am, WMS 108

Office Hours: M/W 12pm-2pm and by appointment

Office: Dodd basement

Course Description

ENC 2135 fulfills the second of two required composition courses at Florida State University. While continuing to stress the importance of critical reading, writing, and thinking skills emphasized in ENC 1101, as well as the importance of using writing as a recursive process involving invention, drafting, collaboration, revision, rereading, and editing to clearly and effectively communicate ideas for specific purposes, occasions, and audiences, ENC 2135 focuses on teaching students research skills that allow them to effectively incorporate outside sources in their writing and to compose in a variety of genres for specific contexts. The course features three main projects:

The first project asks each student to compose a personal essay, incorporating a genre of composition in some fashion. Through multiple drafts, we’ll analyze and employ the distinct rhetorical strategies and conventions found in the genre of creative nonfiction, while exploring how genre functions in contemporary Western culture.

The second project asks students to compose in an academic genre: the researched essay. Again, we’ll examine and employ the rhetorical strategies and conventions unique to this particular genre, and discover the kinship it shares with its cousin––the personal essay from Project One. Each student will research a topic chosen based on his or her interests, incorporating no fewer than ten sources. In addition to composing multiple drafts of the essay, students are asked to submit a research proposal and a research-in-progress report.

The third project asks students to take the research they curated and analyzed in the second project and remediate it into three new genres of their choice. In addition, students will be asked to compose an artist’s statement that examines the genre conventions they are honoring (or breaking) and the rhetorical strategies they’re using, while considering how their choices are effective for their purpose, message, and audience. Students will also be asked to compose a final semester reflection that explores what they’ve learned about genre, genre conventions, and rhetorical strategies, and how this class has challenged and/or complicated their views and experiences of composing.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will:

be able to convey ideas in engaging, muscular prose adapted for a distinct purpose and targeted audience.
understand that strong writing skills are not some mysterious gift bestowed on a lucky few at birth, but are instead the result of a process involving reading, drafting, revision, editing––and above all, practice.
be able to analyze and interpret complex texts in a variety of formats.

have read and composed in multiple genres.
understand how genre conventions operate, how they serve writers/composers, how to honor them, and when to consider breaking them.
recognize how well-chosen rhetorical strategies lead to the success of a given composition in a specific genre.
be able to locate, evaluate, and employ primary and secondary research materials, including scholarly journal articles, books, academic databases, and informal electronic networks and internet sources
understand how to use MLA citation conventions.
recognize and appreciate their own singular writerly strengths.

Course Materials

The Bedford Book of Genres: A Guide and Reader, FSU edition, 2015, by Amy Braziller and Elizabeth Kleinfeld; Bedford/St. Martin, 2014.

Canvas Discussion Posts

There will be eleven discussion posts throughout the semester. These are graded on a complete/incomplete basis and provide a space for ungraded, less formal writing that focuses on exploring ideas and responding to critical writing about assigned readings. Lengths will vary. You will be allowed to skip one week of your choosing without penalty.

To receive credit, students must submit the post on time, meet the word count requirement, and demonstrate engagement with the assigned topic. These writings will not be taken through stages of drafting, peer review, and revision. They will not count towards the course word count of a minimum of 6000 words.

*Important: To receive credit, all Canvas posts must be uploaded by the time provided, unless requested otherwise. This is so I have a chance to read them beforehand and incorporate them into our discussion.

Grade Calculation

Essay 1 (Personal)

Essay 2 (Research)

Essay 3 (Genre Remix):

Presentations:

Participation:

Discussion Board:

200

400

150

100

Total:

1,000

Assignment Grading:

Essays include MULTIPLE drafts, which will be included in final grade for each essay. Individual assignment sheets will provide specific rubrics. Presentations will occur twice throughout the semester and allow you to explore course concepts in multimodal formats. Discussion posts will occur weekly and supplement out of class reading, provide you with an informal writing platform, and allow you engage in a digital dialogue with other students. These are graded on a complete/incomplete basis. Participation is ten percent of your grade and is given holistically at the end of the semester; this is a discussion course and your participation is paramount to the success of our course goals and objectives.

Major Due Dates

Sept 11th—Essay 1, Draft 1 (Conference)
Sept 22nd—Essay 1, Draft 2
Sept 29th—Essay 1, Final Draft
Oct 6th—Essay 2, Research Proposal
Oct 16th—Essay 2, Annotated Bibliography
Oct 20th—Essay 2, Draft 1
Oct 30th—Essay 2, Draft 2 (Conference)
Nov 8th—Essay 2, Final Draft
Dec 4th-8th—Essay 3 Presentation Week/Due

Workshop and Conferences:

Two major components of this course, both logistically and pedagogically, will be workshop days and personal conferences. Workshop days will dedicate our class time to peer evaluation, conversation, and exploration of essay drafts. We will discuss what makes a successful workshop in class. To be considered present for a workshop day, you must have the appropriate draft with you and ready to be workshopped. Conferences will take place twice during the semester (we will not meet in class those weeks) and offer us a chance to work one-on-one or in small groups to focus on the production and revision of your writing. Due to class cancellation for the week (three days), missing a conference will count as THREE absences. If you cannot make a scheduled conference, you must be in immediate communication with me to reschedule during that week at my convenience.

Attendance

FSU’s Composition Program maintains a strict attendance policy to which this course adheres: an excess of six absences (two weeks) constitutes grounds for failure.

You are required to be an active member of the ENC 2135 classroom community, and if you don’t attend class regularly, you cannot fulfill that requirement. Save your absences for when you get sick or for family emergencies.

Similarly, tardiness is not only disruptive, it compromises students’ success in the classroom. If you’re late three times, it will count as one absence and then we’ll both be sad. Please be punctual.

Not showing up for a conference counts as THREE absences.

If you have an excellent reason for going over the allowed number of absences, you should contact Undergraduate Studies (644-2451) and make an appointment to discuss your situation. If you can provide proper documentation of extreme circumstances (for example, a medical situation or some other crisis that resulted in you having to miss more than the allowed number of classes), Undergraduate Studies will consider the possibility of allowing you to drop the course and take it the following semester.

Important Note: FSU’s Composition Program Attendance Policy does not violate the University Attendance Policy that appears in the “University Policies” section later in this syllabus. The Composition Program Attendance Policy simply specifies the number of allowed absences, whereas the University Attendance Policy does not.

Final Grades

A	93 – 100	C	73 – 76
A-	90 – 92	C-	70 – 72
B+	87 – 89	D+	67 – 69
B	83 – 86	D	63 – 66
B-	80 – 82	D-	60 – 62
C+	77 – 79	F	0 – 59

College-level Writing Requirement

To demonstrate college-level writing competency as required by the State of Florida, the student must earn a “C-” or higher in the course, and earn at least a “C-” average on the required writing assignments. If the student does not earn a “C-” average or better on the required writing assignments, the student will not earn an overall grade of “C-” or better in the course, no matter how well the student performs in the remaining portion of the course.

University Attendance Policy

Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. These absences will be accommodated in a way that does not arbitrarily penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.

Academic Honor Policy

The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the University’s expectations for the integrity of students’ academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of students and faculty members throughout the process. Students are responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living up to their pledge to “…be honest and truthful and…[to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at Florida State University.” (Florida State University Academic Honor Policy, found at http://fda.fsu.edu/Academics/Academic-Honor-Policy.)

Americans with Disabilities Act

Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should: (1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center; and (2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for accommodation and what type. This should be done during the first week of class. This syllabus and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request. For more information about services available to FSU students with disabilities, contact the: Student Disability Resource Center 874 Traditions Way 108 Student Services Building Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167 (850) 644-9566 (voice) (850) 644-8504 (TDD) sdrc@admin.fsu.edu http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

Free Tutoring from FSU

On-campus tutoring and writing assistance is available for many courses at Florida State University. For more information, visit the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Tutoring Services’ comprehensive list of on-campus tutoring options at http://ace.fsu.edu/tutoring or tutor@fsu.edu. High-quality tutoring is available by appointment and on a walk-in basis. These services are offered by tutors trained to encourage the highest level of individual academic success while upholding personal academic integrity.

Liberal Studies for the 21st Century

The Liberal Studies for the 21st Century Program at Florida State University builds an educational foundation that will enable FSU graduates to thrive both intellectually and materially and to support themselves, their families, and their communities through a broad and critical engagement with the world in which they live and work. Liberal Studies thus offers a transformative experience. This course has been approved as meeting the Liberal Studies requirements for English and thus is designed to help you become a clear, creative, and convincing communicator, as well as a critical reader.

Syllabus Change Policy

Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice.

Reading/Writing Center (RWC)

What is the RWC?

Part of the English Department, the RWC serves Florida State University students at all levels and from all majors. Think of the RWC as an idea laboratory: it is a place to develop and communicate your ideas!

Who uses the RWC?

In short: everyone! The RWC’s clients include a cross-section of the campus: first-year students writing for composition class, upper-level students writing term papers, seniors composing letters of applications for jobs and graduate schools, graduate students working on theses and dissertations, multilingual students mastering English, and a variety of others.

Where is the RWC located?

As of Fall Semester 2015, the RWC currently has four locations: the newly remodeled Williams 222 location, the gleaming Johnston Ground location, the happening Strozier Library location, and the up-and-coming Dirac Library location. For students who are distance learners, online tutoring is available. Contact Dr. McElroy at smcelroy@fsu.edu for information.

What are the hours?

Hours vary by location. Check the online schedule for availability.

Who works there?

The tutors in the RWC are graduate students in English with training and experience in teaching writing, and undergraduate students who have completed a 3-credit English elective course in tutoring writing and who have been apprentice tutors in the RWC.

What happens in a RWC session?

Many things! You can come with a prompt and talk about your ideas with someone who will be an active listener and ask questions to help you figure out what you think. You can come with a few ideas jotted down, and you can talk through your organization with a tutor. Once you have written parts of a draft or a whole draft, you can see if you communicated your ideas clearly by having a tutor be your “practice audience.” They will listen as a reader, and explain to you what they are thinking as a reader. If they hear what you intended to communicate, yippee. If not, you have an opportunity to revise before you give your work to your actual audience. The tutors will also help you learn editing and proofreading strategies so you can independently communicate your ideas clearly.

How do I make an appointment?

The best way is by using our online scheduling website: http://fsu.mywconline.com Instructions for making an appointment can be found here:http://wr.english.fsu.edu/Reading-Writing-Center/How-to-Make-an-Appointment While we will accept walk-ins if a tutor is available, it is usually best to book ahead.

How much tutoring help can I have?

All FSU students can have 1.5 hours of tutoring a week FOR FREE. This includes all locations, i.e., NOT 1.5 hours in Williams, 1.5 hours in Strozier, etc. Students who opt to register for ENC 1905, REA 1905, or ENG 5998 may have more time depending on the number of credits they choose to take. Appointments are limited to 60 minutes/day.

The Digital Studio

The Digital Studio provides support to students working individually or in groups on a variety of digital projects, such as designing a website, developing an electronic portfolio for a class, creating a blog, selecting images for a visual essay, adding voiceover to a presentation, or writing a script for a podcast. The DS has both Macs and PCs, and some of the cool software available in the DS includes Photoshop, InDesign, Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, and more.

Who uses the DS?

Any FSU student who wants to complete digital class assignments or to improve overall capabilities in digital communication. Students also use the DS to make Prezis, business cards, flyers for their own student organizations, and more!

Where is the DS?

There are two DS locations: Williams 222 and Johnston Ground.

What happens in a DS session?

Like the RWC, think of the DS as an idea lab, only it is a place to explore ideas in digital texts and to learn new technologies to communicate ideas in those mediums.

How do I make an appointment?

The best way is by using our online scheduling website: http://fsu.mywconline.com The DS does accept walk-ins, but the DS gets booked by large groups and is very busy at the end of the semester, so it is best to plan ahead.

How much tutoring can I have?

You can use the DS as much as you’d like.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is grounds for suspension from the university as well as for failure in this course. It will not be tolerated. Any instance of plagiarism must be reported to the Director of College Composition and the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Plagiarism is a counterproductive, non-writing behavior that is unacceptable in a course intended to aid the growth of individual writers. Plagiarism is included among the violations defined in the Academic Honor Code, section b), paragraph 2, as follows: “Regarding academic assignments, violations of the Academic Honor Code shall include representing another’s work or any part thereof, be it published or unpublished, as one’s own.”

A plagiarism education assignment that further explains this issue will be administered during the third week of class. Each student will be responsible for completing the assignment and asking questions regarding any parts they do not fully understand.

Classroom Etiquette:

The classroom is a professional environment. Please treat others with respect. Derogatory statements or inappropriate language, written or spoken, will not be tolerated.

Please note that the following activities will result in you receiving deductions in participation points, being asked to leave, and/or receiving an absence for the day:

Texting. Phones should be put away during class.
Exiting the room with your phone and taking an absurdly long restroom break.
Using laptops, tablets, or other devices, except when indicated as part of a class activity.
Not bringing your text/draft to class on workshop days. If you come to class without your text or a draft on workshop days, you will be considered absent.
Not paying attention. Come to class and be present. Engage in discussion; show you have read; share your reactions to assigned readings.

Please remember you can always visit me during office hours or by appointment.