R230 D

(425) 564-2021

OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday, 11:30-12:20

FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THE SCHEDULE, ASSIGNMENTS, REFERENCE MATERIALS, AND NOTES, CHECK YOUR “MYBCC” CLASS WEBSITE.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

TEXTS: Joseph L. Williams, Style

Diana Hacker, A WRITER'S REFERENCE

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: While the title of this course is "Written Expression", this is specifically a course in non-fiction, essay writing -- no poetry, no fictional short stories (although sometimes the line between fiction and non-fiction is a thin one). More specifically, I am going to emphasize discourse, essays which discuss and analyze ideas and observations rather than narratives that describe personal experiences.

COURSE OUTCOMES: By the end of the quarter, you should be able to:

Demonstrate various invention practices:  brainstorming, free writing; outlining, journaling
Demonstrate ability to write in various modes: personal narrative, expository,
               analytical, descriptive, argument
Demonstrate the phases of writing: draft, revision, final copy
Explore sources of writing: reading, thinking, analyzing, discussion
Create a thesis statement that suggests the focus of the paper; does not point out the
               obvious, and is written as a sentence.
Develop and include enough details and examples to support the identified thesis and
              reinforce focus
Demonstrate various patterns of organization and
use the organization pattern that suits your identified purpose & audience.
Illustrate the concept of Audience in your writing.
Artfully combine Audience, Purpose, and Tone in compositions written in and outside of class
Write in a vocabulary appropriate to your subject and identified audience.
Begin and conclude a paper effectively.
Show effective control of mechanics: paragraphing, punctuation, spelling.
Differentiate between key ideas and supporting details in reading
Locate the thesis statement in reading assignments
Practice good group skills: how to give useful feedback, and how to make use of
             feedback you receive
Develop self-assessment skills

EXPECTATIONS: I expect you to think, talk, create, and contribute to a dialogue on issues and ideas. Simply sitting in your seat and listening is not enough. Asking questions, commenting upon sample papers, getting involved in class and small group discussions, helping other members of your writing group and, overall, demonstrating an open and inquisitive mind will earn you a higher grade.

In general, I expect professionalism: being here regularly, letting me know when you can’t be here and arranging to make up work, treating others’ views with respect, doing work on time and to the best of your ability.

GRADING: You will write FIVE rough drafts, ungraded but commented upon by me (except they will be graded "Satisfactory" or "Unsatisfactory"). Failure to turn in a Satisfactory version of one of these drafts will result in a failing grade for 30% of your overall grade. Failure to turn in two of these drafts will result in your being asked to drop the course. Your attendance and participation in class and particularly in writing groups will also be part of this 30% of your grade.

All drafts are to be submitted on a USB drive or emailed to me, and in Word or Works format. I will write my comments on a companion file on this disk. If you do not submit the essay by disk or email, you will not receive comments on it. If you email the paper, be sure that you receive a confirmation from me. If you do not, you cannot assume that I received the paper.

From these five rough drafts, you will select THREE for revision into a second draft. These will be submitted to a peer writing group for discussion and comment, and to me for a grade (but minimal comment). These will each be worth 15% of your overall grade.

From these three papers, you will select ONE to be revised into what you consider to be your best writing, due at the end of the quarter. Volunteers may submit papers at this point for full-class discussion and revision. This final paper will count for 25% of your final grade.

There will be NO MAKE-UP on in-class quizzes and assignments, and you will not be permitted to turn in the five preliminary drafts late. If any of the three revisions are late, you will receive a grade no higher than the lowest grade given to those papers turned in on time. I will ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCEPT any late submissions of the final revision.

NOTE: ALL ESSAYS PRODUCED FOR THIS CLASS WILL BE CONSIDERED TO BE PUBLIC WRITING, AND THEY MAY BE USED (ANONYMOUSLY, OF COURSE) AS DEMONSTRATION PAPERS FOR FUTURE CLASSES, UNLESS YOU SPECIFICALLY REQUEST OTHERWISE IN WRITING.

The following grade scale, with equivalent grade points, will be used in this course for individual assignments and for the final course grade.

A = 4.0

A- = 3.7

B+ = 3.3

B = 3.0

B- = 2.7

C+ = 2.3

C = 2.0

C- = 1.7

D+ = 1.3

D = 1.O

F = 0.0

READ THE POLICIES OF THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES DIVISION AT THE FOLLOWING URL: http://www.bellevuecollege/artshum/policy.html THESE ARE THE POLICIES OF THIS CLASS, AND YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THEM.

PLAGIARISM

Any paper submission which contains substantial unacknowledged or unattributed verbatim borrowings of language/wording and/or ideas from another source--and thereby represented as the student's own work--will receive an "E" or failing grade on that assignment. Such students will be written a short letter which cites the incident, the failing consequence, and which warns the student that a repetition of plagiarism will result in a final course grade of "F".

Be forewarned: I have a “zero tolerance” policy regarding plagiarism. If you don’t know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it, consult one of the many resources available, including an excellent handout from the BCC Writing Lab (http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/writinglab/ ).

ATTENDANCE

Since this class meets only twice a week, four or more class absences (20% of scheduled class sessions) will result in a final course grade of "F" in the class. Regular attendance, however, is not in and of itself a cause for a passing grade. If you “disappear” from the class without officially withdrawing from it, you will receive an “F”.

SPECIAL NEEDS

If you have medical information to share with me in the event of an emergency, please contact me via email or come to see me during office hours. Emergency preparedness is important!

If you need course modifications / adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, I can refer you to our Disability Resource Center (DRC).

If you prefer, you may contact them directly by going to B132 or by calling 425.564.2498 or TTY 425.564.4110. Information is also available on their website at http://bellevuecollege.edu/drc/