Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Instructor: Ali Lang-Smith
Office: Library Second Floor – Room 204
E-Mail: alangsmith@maritime.edu

Classroom: Library Lower Level Classroom

Note: Grades, syllabus, and other materials will be posted on-line at: blackboard.maritime.edu. Log-on using your student number as both user name and password. You may then change your password.

Special Note: Learning Disabilities

Massachusetts Maritime is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to students with documented disabilities. Students who believe they may need accommodations in this class are directed to contact Mrs. Anne Folino, Director of Disability Compliance, within the first two weeks of class.

afolino@maritime.edu x 1409.

Axelrod, Rise B., and Charles R. Cooper. The St. Martin’s Guide to Writing. 7^th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. WWW address: <www.bedfordstmartins.com/theguide>

This course is designed to help you improve your ability to express yourself clearly and efficiently through writing. It is not my intention to "teach" you how to write. Rather, this course is arranged in such a way that you will discover for yourself what writing is and how it works for you. We will focus on the "Writing-As-A-Process" technique, which means the emphasis will be placed on the stages of writing (note-taking, prewriting, drafting, revision, editing) as well as on the mechanics. This method is best suited to help you develop your critical thinking, reading, and writing skills through a variety of methods, including peer editing sessions, writing workshops, and our analysis of the works of published writers.

The emphasis, then, will be on the writing process, not just the finished product. You will gain the skills needed to create, revise, and refine your writing. Given the course's objectives, this class depends on your working together and on sharing your writing and insights through peer editing and full class workshops, so make sure your writing is appropriate for this atmosphere.

You will be expected to complete 5 (2-3 page) writing assignments. There will also be an assessment essay given during the first week and the last week of the semester. You will also be required to keep an Electronic Writing Journal wherein you will write for 15 minutes a day for 5 days a week. All written assignments will be returned to you with a grade and comments specifically designed to help you focus on weaknesses in your writing and/or thinking skills. I may also suggest chapters in the Handbook for you to focus on. I will assume that those writing weaknesses will be improved upon in your next essay. If not, that will impact your grade. All written assignments should be typed double-spaced on a word-processor at default settings (are you still with me?). The margins should be wide enough for me to make comments as I read. Label all assignments with your name, a title, the assignment number, the course and section number, and the date. Each assignment submitted via email should be titled in the subject line of the email with your last name and section number. All late papers will be severely frowned upon (including the ones the dog chewed up and the computer ate) and will certainly affect your final grade. NOTE: All late assignments will be reduced by 1/3 of a letter grade point for each class it is late. NO ASSIGNMENT will be accepted after one week.

You must have a draft prepared for every writing workshop. If you fail to have a draft for the day's workshop, you will receive, at most, an adequate score (see grading process) for your final draft, regardless of its quality, and you will not be allowed to rewrite it for a higher grade. The same policy holds if you are absent the day a draft is due.

This policy is in effect because unprepared students (that is, those without drafts) glean ideas, information, wording, and sometimes entire paragraphs from peers whose work is critiqued during workshops. In fairness to those who come to class with drafts, those who don't do the preliminary work are penalized. All drafts should be numbered and must be included with the final draft. A short word-processed note explaining what you did in that revision and how you feel it improved the essay should also precede each new draft.

Conferences: You are required to schedule one conference with me during the semester. Please keep all of your writing assignments together in a folder and bring them to your conference. Also feel free to see me during my office hours.

Final Grades will depend on your participation in class and group discussions, conferences with me, written assignments, attendance at the Writing Resource Center (if applicable), and, of course, class attendance. What will most influence your final grade is whether or not you improve your communication skills as a result of this course. That is, after all, what this class is all about: helping you to discover for yourself how to be a better writer. Please note that you must maintain a grade standing of C- or above to pass this course. If you are unable to maintain an average of C-, you will be unprepared for the more significant rigors of upper level classes and so will receive a grade of failing (F) for this class.

You are expected to contribute to every class discussion, peer-editing session, and writing workshop. However, because medical emergencies or illness sometimes do occur, Maritime regulations allow for reasonable absences for illness or emergencies (Note that a hangover, a vehicle that won't start, a court appearance for a traffic violation, ... none constitute emergencies). If you do miss a class for any such event, it will reduce your final grade. Clearly, attendance is mandatory.

You will be required to arrive at class on time. Late arrivals are so disruptive that you should choose instead to be absent (Refer to the absenteeism policy).

If you plagiarize, you will fail this course. Plagiarism is both stealing and cheating. Both acts are unacceptable. By mid-semester, usually sooner, I will be quite familiar with the idiosyncrasies of your writing style. Should you submit work that varies in major ways from your unique writing patterns, I will assume you have plagiarized. Your writing should improve during the semester, and I will see and record that improvement. But that improvement will occur in increments, not overnight. Anyone caught plagiarizing at any point in the semester will receive an "F" for the course.

You will be graded in this class on the letter grade system using the following guidelines:
The A theme: Superior (A: 95-100; A-: 92-95)
The A paper exhibits the following strengths:
1. It has a controlling sense of purpose (to persuade, to inform, or to express).
2. It exhibits a mature level of thought (that is, it exhibits the ability to draw inferences and make analogies which show insight into the topic).
3. It is tailored for a specific given audience.
4. It achieves clarity throughout.
5. It has a unified organization with apt introduction, graceful transitions, and a vigorous conclusion.
6. It has a clear thesis developed thoroughly with abundant, fresh support (for example, concrete distinguishing details, examples and sound reasoning).
7. It uses a variety of sentence structure, precise word choice, emphasis, and figures of speech.
8. It is free from consistent errors in Standard English and from common weaknesses in writing (ineffective use of passive voice, inappropriate word choice, inappropriate shifts, wordiness).

Note: The A paper is distinguished from the B paper by a more assured prose style, more creativity in form or content, more subtlety in rhetorical strategy.

The B theme: Good (B+: 88-92; B: 85-88; B-: 82-85)
The B paper exhibits the following strengths:
1. It has a controlling sense of purpose (to persuade, to inform, or to express).
2. It exhibits a mature level of thought.
3. It is tailored for a specific given audience.
4. It achieves clarity throughout.
5. It has a unified organization with apt introduction, clear transitions, and a good conclusion.
6. It has a clear thesis that has been reasonably developed with effective support (for example, concrete details, examples and mature reasoning).
7. It uses a variety of sentence structure and accurate word choice.
8. It has few errors in Standard English and few common weaknesses in writing (ineffective use of passive voice, inappropriate word choice, inappropriate shifts, wordiness).

Note: A mere absence of errors will not constitute a B paper.

The C Theme: Satisfactory (C+: 78-82; C: 75-78; C-: 72-75)
The C paper exhibits the following characteristics:
1. It displays a sense of purpose, which may not be consistently met.
2. It is logical but rarely thought-provoking.
3. It displays a sense of audience and usually addresses that audience.
4. It is clear throughout.
5. It is organized well enough to be easily readable with a beginning, a middle and an end.
6. It has a clear thesis that is reasonably developed with some concrete details and examples.
7. It has adequate but undistinguished word choice and sentence structure.
8. It contains almost no serious errors in sentence boundaries, grammar, punctuation and spelling.

The D Theme: Deficient (D+: 68-72;D: 65-68; D-: 62-65)
The D paper exhibits some of the following weaknesses:
1. It fails to rise above the obvious in content, substitutes repetition for development, or relies too heavily on a secondary source.
2. It lacks a sense of an appropriate audience.
3. It lacks clarity.
4. It lacks a unified organization and shows weaknesses in introduction, transitions and/or conclusion.
5. It has a single subject but no controlling idea.
6. It lacks a variety in sentence structure and/or accuracy or word choice.
7. It has some errors in Standard English:
· Mixed constructions
· Sentence boundary errors
· Agreement errors (subject/verb; pronoun/antecedent)
· Inappropriate shifts in tense, mood, voice, person
· Confusion of its/it's, there/they're/their, too/to/two, no/know, your/you're, etc.
· Punctuation errors or excessive misspellings
Note: Originality of style or thought will not excuse the deficiencies listed for D or F papers.

The F Theme: Failing (under 62 points)
The F paper exhibits the following weaknesses:
1. It lacks content.
2. It lacks any sense of audience.
3. It lacks clarity.
4. It lacks unified organization and shows an absence of adequate introduction, transitions, and/or conclusion.
5. It lacks both a single subject and a controlling idea.
6. It lacks variety in sentence structure and accuracy in word choice.
7. It has frequent errors in Standard English (refer to list under D paper)

Final note: Failure to fulfill the assignment within one week of original due date will result in a grade of F.

Week 1: Sept. 6

Meeting 1: Course introduction, hand out survey and paragraph writing assignment due the next class.

Week 3: Sept. 18-20

Option 1: Write a 2-3 page essay about an event in your life that was so meaningful to you that it altered you in some way. It could be about a moment of pride or even shame, an event that led to confusion or even clarity about something that had been troubling you. Help your reader to understand the significance of the event. Tell your story dramatically and vividly (See pages 53-55 for topic ideas if you have trouble with this topic).

Option 2: Write a biographical sketch of someone you know personally. It could be a hero or a heroine; it could just as easily be a villain. Describe the person in detail so the reader can see who this person is and why you came to admire or despise them. Reveal and develop several character traits that add dimension to this person and your relationship to them (See pages 109-110 for topic ideas if you have trouble with this assignment).

The assignment will be graded in part on three elements--a well-told story, vivid presentation of places and people, and an indication of the event’s significance--in addition to grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Meeting 1: Invention: read pages 53-59 and pages 109-115 and come to class prepared to work on your essay. You will be testing your topic with classmates.

Meeting 2: Planning and drafting: 53-62 and pages 115-120. Come to class having determined your audience and with a typed copy of an outline.

Meeting 1: Come to class with a typed draft of your essay. We’ll also discuss in class Editing and Proofreading that you covered in last week’s readings.

Meeting 2: Explaining a Concept Assignment 3: Write a 3-page essay about an abstract concept that interests you and that you want to study further. When you have a good understanding of the concept, explain it to your readers, considering carefully what they already know about it and how your essay might add to what they know. Read Guidelines on pages 235-254 for topic ideas. The assignment will be graded in part on six elements—a focused concept, an appeal to reader’s interests, a logical plan, a clear definition, an appropriate writing strategy (see pages 232-233), and the careful use of sources, if applicable—as well as on documentation of sources using MLA format, incorporation of transitions and other devices to cue readers, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Read Love: The Right Chemistry (p. 205) and Indirect Aggression (p. 216) and come to this class prepared to discuss the essays.

Week 5: Oct. 2-4:

Meeting 1: We will be conducting an In-Lab Workshop on Brainstorming for your Concept Essay Assignment.

Meeting 1: Come to class with a typed copy of an outline. We will consider topics for an In Class Informal Debate.

· Review Ch. 22: Using and Acknowledging Sources. Bring your source materials to class.

· Read Drafting,pages 245-249, and come to class with a typed draft of your Explaining a Concept Essay.

Meeting 1: Read pages 249-254 on Revising and Editing and Proofreading and bring a draft of your essay to class to work on. We will have an In-Lab Workshop.

· Begin Ch. 6: Arguing a Position (pages 261-265)and Writing Assignment 4: Write an essay on a controversial issue. Learn more about the issue and take a position on it. Present the issue to readers and develop an argument for the purpose of confirming, challenging, or changing your readers’ views on the issue ( See pages 297-298 for topic ideas). The essay will be graded in part on four elements—a focused presentation of the issue, a clear position, plausible reasons and convincing support, and anticipating opposing positions and objects—as well as on proper MLA documentation of sources, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

· Read Sticks and Stones (p.266) and Who’s More Worthy (p. 277) and come to this class prepared to discuss the two essays.

Week 8: Oct. 23-25

Meeting 2: Planning (305-308). Come to class with a typed outline of your Argument Essay Assignment 4.

· Developing, planning and drafting (269-276). Come to class with a rough draft to work on in an In-Lab Workshop.

Week 9: Oct. 30-Nov.1

Meeting 2:Read Drafting on pages 308-311. Come to class with a typed revised draft of your Arguing a Position Essay 4. Be prepared to talk with class about changes between rough and revised drafts and why.

· Read Revising (pages 313-31, and bring next draft of essay to class to work on. We will focus on Editing and Proofreading (pages 317-319) in class.

Week 10: Nov. 6-8

Meeting 1: Begin Ch. 7 and Proposing a Solution Essay Assignment 5: Write a 3-4 page essay proposing a solution to a problem. Choose a problem faced by a community or group to which you belong, and address your proposal to one or more members of the group or top outsiders who might help solve the problem. See pages 363-364 for topic ideas. The assignment will be graded in part on having 5 elements—a well-defined problem, a clearly described solution, a convincing argument in support fo the proposed solution, an anticipation of readers’ objections and questions, and an evaluation of alternative solutions—as well as on MLA documentation of sources, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Meeting 2: Begin Invention and Research (pages 363-371). Read More Testing, More Learning (p.352).

Week 12: Nov. 21-23: Note: Thanksgiving Recess Wednesday -Friday

Meeting 1: Planning (pages 371-375). Drafting (pages 375-377). Revising (pages 379-382). We will discuss Proofreading and Editing (pages382-383).

· We will begin Ch. 8: Justifying an Evaluation Essay Assignment 6: Write a 3-page essay evaluating a particular subject. Examine your subject closely and make a judgment about it. Argue for your judgment with reasons and support. See pages 421-422 for topic ideas. The essay will be graded in part on 4 elements—a well-presented subject, a clear overall judgment, appropriate reasons and convincing support, and anticipation of readers’ objections and alternative judgments—as well as on MLA documentation of sources, grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Week 14: Dec. 5-7

Meeting 1: Read Working At MacDonalds (p.407) and come to class prepared to discuss the essay.

Meeting 2: Read Purpose and Audience (pages 417-419). We will be bringing in other resources to consider for this assignment.

Week 15: Dec. 12-14

Meeting 1: Read Planning (pages 428-431); come with a typed draft of an outline.

· Read Revising (pages 394-397). Bring a draft of your essay to revise. We will also discuss Editing and Proofreading (pages 439-440 and 497-498).

· Final Class. We will be doing an End of Semester Assessment Exercise this week as well.