ENGWR 300

Tim Kahl (916) 714-5401 (Please no calls after 9:30 PM) also appears as Victor Schnickelfritz

Because being successful in today's job market requires men and women to have at least some working knowledge of computers, if at all possible, papers should be done using a word processor. Familiarizing yourself early with the word processor will save you much grief later on in your college career.

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to compose effective college-level essays using a variety of rhetorical strategies and applying appropriate citations and formatting standards.

Attendance Policy: There are 24 days we are scheduled to meet. Please be present for all of them. Any absence will greatly affect your ability to meet the requirements of the course. Absences and/or early departures in excess of 3 class periods may result in my dropping you from the course. Attendance will be noted and taken into consideration concerning borderline grades when the final grade is given.

Electronic Submissions: You may choose to submit any and or all of your work via electronic submissions. You may submit:

Electronic submissions of study questions are allowed (and actually encouraged). Submissions sent as Microsoft Word attachments or cut-and-pasted into the field of your e-mail application are preferable.

All submissions should include your real name (along with your online handle if you like) and the type of assignment in the "To" or "Subject" box.

It is highly advisable to make a test e-mail for an important document if you are using electronic submissions for the first time and you are unsure of your ability to send the document.

Due Dates For Electronic Submissions: Must be dated and timed before class period in order to be exempt from the aforementioned 10% late penalty. [Some extensions may be given due to extenuating technical circumstances].

Revision Policy: One of the three out-of class papers may be turned in for revision. This paper must be below a 90 % to be eligible for revision. Due Dates: All assignments are due on the dates given (unless otherwise notified). Late assignments will be assessed a 10% penalty per late class session.

Due Dates: All assignments are due on the dates given (unless otherwise notified).

Late assignments: Late assignments will be assessed a 10% penalty per late class session.

{Electronic submissions will be considered late if they are received after the end of the class period. Some leeway may be given for first-time offenders and for technical problems, but the discretion will be mine. [Note: most students choose to e-mail assignments the night before they are due.]}

New Late assignments policy: You will have one week after the due date to turn in late work. After this point, the late work will not be accepted. Exceptions to this rule will be granted only if your have received prior OK from me due to some extenuating circumstances which would not let you complete the work.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is pretending that someone else's ideas or writing is your own. Intentional failure to cite source material will be dealt with quickly and severely.

A work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is clear and balanced. There are no tangled sentences. A varied length of sentences is present and correct sentence structure is used. The pattern of development is clear and apparent and demonstrates forethought regarding the desired effect upon the reader. The styleand tone are appropriate to the topic and audience. There may be an occasional mistake in mechanics. The topic of the paper should aim to be fresh and original and should attempt to stretch the academic horizons of the writer.

B work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be some instances in which there are some confusing or awkward sentences, though these do not detract from the overall effect of the paper. A somewhat limited variety of sentences may exist, but the sentence structure is generally correct. The pattern of development is apparent, but may deviate at times. The style and tone of the paper are generally appropriate to the topic and audience. There are relatively few mistakes in mechanics. The topic may not demonstrate any original thinking or particularly or novel approach to the assignment.

C work requires a fair amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment, but may miss the stated objectives to some degree. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be several points where the sentence structure becomes jumbled and confused and this interferes with the flow of the paper. A limited variety of sentences is readily apparent. The pattern of development may be vague and unclear, but there is more than a semblance of formal constraint apparent. The style and tone may be somewhat varied and inappropriate for both the topic (misnomers) and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are a distracting number of mistakes in mechanics.

D work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is unclear and unbalanced and there may be a significant amount of jumbled and confused sentences. The pattern of development is unapparent and it demonstrates a lack of forethought on the part of the writer. The style and tone of the paper are wildly varied and inappropriate for both the topic and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are an overwhelming number of mistakes in mechanics. In general, the paper demonstrates a hurried and haphazard approach devoid of any forethought (i.e. the paper that is written the night before).

F work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Any work deemed to be completely unsatisfactory with regard to content, pattern of development, style, tone, topic, or mechanics. A paper in this category demonstrates an absolute minimum of effort.

Note: This schedule reflects work that will be discussed in class on the date given. Students should be prepared to discuss the items listed for that day.

	87 - 89% B+	77 - 79% C+	67 - 69% D+	Below 60% F
92 - 100% A	83 - 86% B	74 - 76% C	63 - 66% D
90 - 91% A-	80 - 83% B-	70 - 73% C-	60 - 62% D-

Persuasive/Argumentative Paper [Soc. Media Regulation]	100
Comparison/Contrast Paper [Interpreter of Maladies]	100
Characterization Paper [Identity]	100
Thesis/Outline [Research Paper]	20 [Ex. Cr.]
Subject A-like "in-class" Essay #1	50
Homework assignments/Quizzes	165
Research paper [Outliers]	200
Contingencies	+/-

Tues. August 27	Introductions and Syllabus
Thurs. August 29	Begin watching "The Great Hack"

Tues. September 17	Rough drafts of Social Media Regulation paper due. Discussion of student papers.
Thurs. September 19	Peer Review and discussion of rough drafts. Discussion of student papers on web site (continued).

Tues. October 1	Study Questions for Interpreter of Maladies # 3 due
Thurs. October 3	Study Questions for Interpreter of Maladies # 3 due cont.

Tues. November 19	Identity study questions #2
Thurs. November 21	Identity study questions #3 due

Tues. December 10
Thurs. December 12

Dec 16	Final due Sat. Dec. 14 at 6:00 PM.